The Librarian
by WafflesRtheBest
Summary: Sofia gets a job as the castle's librarian so that she can save money to explore the world. But when she stumbles on a book of the darkest magic her dream of adventure turns into a nightmare. Luckily a grumpy sorcerer has her back, even if he adds to that danger with his secrets. A/U: Sofia grew up as a commoner. librarian!Sofia x Cedric, Cedfia (ps: Sofia is an adult in this A/U)
1. Chapter 1

**A/U: Sofia never became a princess, when she grows up she takes a job as a librarian at the castle. In this she is 20, Cedric is in his 30s. Not sure where I'm going with this... so enjoy? **

1.

Sofia walked into the library, it was rather impressive. She had only just gotten the job in the palace, and she could already tell that she would be quite happy here. She had never imagined herself as a librarian, but money had gotten tight. Helping her mother make shoes wasn't cutting it anymore. She found out through rumors that the position of librarian was open at the castle and had jumped on the opportunity.

Not only would she be earning great money, but she would also have her own quarters. It was just a small room that branched off from the library, but it had an amazing view. And it was hers. At the age of 20 she should have been preparing for marriage, but had ignored any offers that had come her way. Sofia had her own plans, and they didn't include settling down with a husband at the moment.

Working at the castle would help her realize her dreams. She would finally make enough money to leave Enchancia, and explore the world. Of course first she had to tackle the library.

According to the steward, Baileywick, no one had really worked there for a while. The place was in disarray, so that seemed obvious. After all the cleaning that would be involved she would need to inventory all of the books to see if anything was missing. It was daunting, but she had been greatly cheered when the king had allotted her a small allowance to purchase new books as she saw fit. Overall, Sofia felt pretty good about this new job.

She walked along the bookshelves, marveling at the immense collection before her. She had been to the bookshops in town, but they were nothing compared to this. Here she was surrounded by them from floor to ceiling. Everything was quite dusty, and books had been left scattered about on the various tables and some even sat on the floor.

With a large sigh, Sofia got to work. They had provided her with cleaning supplies, and she started to wipe everything down and then sweep. After that was done, several hours later, she took a look behind the circulation desk. The previous librarian had kept an extensive catalogue of the books within the library, but it was outdated. She started going through the shelves, prepared to make notes on what was missing.

Eventually she realized that there were only 3 books not in the library that should be, and they were from the magic section. She looked through the massive window and out to the tower that somewhat obscured her view. The light was still on, even as late as it had gotten. She knew after the tour she had been given that _he_ resided there. The royal sorcerer, Mr. Cedric. Sofia had never met a sorcerer before, and had never seen magic preformed outside of a magician's booth during festivals. Just looking at the tower made her burn with curiosity, and she thought how exciting it would be to meet him. Sure, she had heard the rumors. People said he was a terrible sorcerer, and nothing compared to his father who had come before him. Sofia decided to ignore the gossip, even if he wasn't a very good sorcerer he could still preform magic. And if she had learned anything in her life it was that rumors couldn't always be trusted. She decided to see him tomorrow, and inquire about the missing texts. It would be a great excuse to finally meet him.

Sofia wiped the dust from her forehead and headed towards her quarters. It was a small room, but it was all hers. She sat on her little bed and smiled. The light from the lantern danced on the ceiling and against the walls. There was another window, facing out to the gardens and the sorcerer's tower. There was a small dresser, a closet, and a nightstand. Just having privacy for once was wonderful. Back at her mother's cottage she had shared a room with her mom.

As she started to get ready for bed, she found herself continually glancing back out her window. The light in the tower was still on.

#

In the morning Sofia wrote down the titles of the missing books from the magical section. She ate breakfast with the servants, quietly watching everyone chatter and gossip. The royal sorcerer wasn't technically a servant, so he wouldn't be there. She wondered where he ate his meals, but was too shy to ask anyone. Still, she didn't mind going up to his tower. She was very curious to see what it looked like up there.

After only a few wrong turn she found the path that had been pointed out to her during her tour. The stairs were tedious, but she maneuvered them easily enough. When she got to the door the large gargoyle statues gave her pause, but she shook her head and knocked on the door anyway. Perhaps it was part of being a sorcerer to have strange tastes in décor.

There was a loud explosion on the other side of the door, causing her to jump. She took a step back and the door swung open. A very grumpy man was glaring at her. His face was covered in soot, hair sticking out in all kinds of directions, and she could have sworn it was black with grey bangs. His brown eyes looked tired, and thoroughly annoyed as he glared down at her. He was easily a head taller than her.

"What is it?" he asked.

Sofia cleared her throat. She tried to remember her manners, and curtsied.

"Pardon me, Sir…" she trailed off, not sure what he would like to be addressed as.

"Cedric," he provided. He wiped his face off with the sleeve of his sorcerer's robe and ran his hands through his hair to smooth it back down.

"Mr. Cedric, I am the new librarian, Sofia." She paused to curtsy again, feeling a little nervous. "I was recently hired and I'm just trying to get things settled," she told him.

"Uh huh," he said. He began to drum his fingers on the door as he stared down at her.

"There were some books on magic missing, I thought maybe you would have them?" Sofia asked.

"What are they?" he asked.

"Three books, one on other magical texts, one on magical creatures, and another on magical artifacts," she said after looking over the list again. Then Sofia smiled at him. Despite his efforts his appearance was still somewhat disheveled. Despite that and his obvious grumpiness she found him quite charming. She wasn't sure why.

"I may have those, somewhere," Mr. Cedric said.

"Perhaps I could take a look?" Sofia asked, not really sure what else to say. She didn't think it would be appropriate to ask _him_ to look for the books, especially since he probably had better things to do. He looked at her for a moment, frowning.

"Feel free," he moved aside, eyeing her suspiciously. When she walked past him and into his tower he closed the door.

"Thank you, Mr. Cedric," she said again, adding a curtsy just to be polite.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Cedric turned away and went back to a table holding several beakers and vials. There was a cauldron which still smoked from the explosion she had heard earlier. She looked around the room, feeling awed by all the bookshelves and magical trinkets.

"Do what?" she asked, taking in her surroundings. His tower was very cluttered, there were tables and shelves lined with ingredients everywhere as well as a few crowded bookshelves. There was an upper level lined with even more bookshelves.

"Curtsy," Cedric said over his shoulder. "And you can just call me Cedric."

"If you say so, M- Cedric." She smiled at him, and moved her hands away from her dress, stopping herself before she could curtsy. He gave her one final look before turning back to his work. She thought this was rather friendly of him, but reminded herself that he was busy and that she should be so, as well.

She walked up the steps and moved over the bookshelves up there first. She found two of the three texts she was looking for, and placed them on the steps before moving on to look for the final one. She spared a glance at the quiet sorcerer, he was pouring something carefully into the cauldron, and then stirred he the contents. She watched him for a moment, curious, while he went on oblivious to her watchful gaze. A smile tugged at her lips and she looked away, attempting to focus on what she had come here to do. Perhaps when he wasn't so busy he could show her some magic, if she asked nicely. She bit her lip, wondering if the request would be considered impolite.

The final shelf was ridiculously tall and accompanied by a ladder. She hoped that the book was on one of the lower shelves, but sadly no luck. She climbed the steps, feeling a little shaky, and continued to go shelf by shelf. Still no book. Finally she reached to the top shelf, and began to look over the texts there. Unlike the library these weren't dusty. In fact they looked well-loved. The spines were worn, but cared for. Sofia smiled as she read the titles, so many fascinating subjects.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Cedric asked her. She peered down at him, he stood there looking up at her, arms crossed.

"I only found two of the books," Sofia told him.

"Which one are you looking for now?" he asked.

Sofia tried to turn around to tell him, but as she did so the weight on the ladder shifted and before she knew it she found both her, and it, were falling to the stone floor. Her words turned into a gasp as she fell, and she squeezed her eyes shut, preparing to hit the hard ground.

Instead Cedric caught her, and she opened her eyes. The ladder hit the floor with a loud crash, and she looked at him. His eyes were wide, and when their eyes met he quickly set her down. He cleared his throat and took a few steps away.

"You should be more careful," he told her.

"Wow," Sofia said. She looked from him to the ladder, and back to him. "Thank you." She grinned at him, and watched him brush his hands off on his robe.

"What was the last book?" he asked, looking away.

"Magical Artifacts of Avalor," she told him.

Cedric stiffened, "It's downstairs," he said.

"Oh, I'll just go grab it." Sofia headed to the other set of stairs that led down, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"It's among a lot of other books. I'll look for it, and bring it to you tonight," he said.

"Oh, thanks." She smiled at him, "Once I get the borrowing system updated you can have them back if you want. I'm just trying to make sure that everything is accounted for." Sofia picked up the two books she had found and held them to her chest. She looked up at Cedric, he was avoiding her eyes.

"Ok, that's great. I'll come by later with the book, see you then, buh bye." As he spoke he pushed her out of his tower, and then slammed the door.

**Ok, so i obviously stole a scene from Once Upon A Time... Hope no one minds... LOL The next chapter will be posted soon-ish :) reviews welcome. Hope you liked it. I can say that things will get interesting in the next couple of chapters... it may not be as fluffy as my other stuff.**


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Cedric leaned against the door after he had managed to get her out. She had done nothing but distract him with her presence since she knocked on his door. He had expected Baileywick, or even one of the twins, but not her. Not the pretty librarian with wavy brown hair and big blue eyes.

He groaned and walked back to his desk. The potion he had been working on was thoroughly ruined. He would have to start over from scratch, which would be easier now that a fair maiden wasn't walking about the room humming to herself.

At first he had been annoyed by the soft notes she seemed to hum without realizing it, but then he had recognized the tune. It happened to be a song he knew, and was quite fond of. Then he had stolen glances at her when he didn't think she would notice. He had watched her trace the titles of his books with her finger, and had witnessed her pause and tilt her head curiously when she would see something interesting. Or so he imagined, because he had no idea what went on in the heads of women, especially young ones who smiled so easily.

When she had offered to go down to his rooms to retrieve the book on Avalor he had panicked. He didn't want her walking through his private chambers, looking at all the books and scrolls he had scattered about. He normally didn't even let anyone into his tower, and never in his private quarters.

And she had just stood there, smiling at him. It made him shudder. He normally went to the library to stretch his legs and browse the books that were there at his leisure, but not anymore. Not if _she_ would be there. Cheerfully humming, smiling, and making him uncomfortable.

Almost as uncomfortable as he had felt when he had caught her and held her in his arms. It had felt, well unpleasant wasn't the right word. But, she was much younger than him, and he needed to focus on his magical studies. He just couldn't afford a distraction in his search for power, even if that distraction had a pretty face and lyrical voice.

#

Night had come before Sofia had even realized it. She glanced out the window at the sorcerer's tower, which was still well-lit. Perhaps he had forgotten to bring the book by? If he had she would leave in until the morning. She swept the floor, even though it wasn't very dirty since she had cleaned before. When she passed the window again she paused to glance out at the tower. She recalled earlier how he had caught her when she had fallen. It had been exciting, and the memory still made her blush. She leaned on the broom handle and wondered what he was doing.

A voice cleared behind her and startled her. She jumped and turned around to see Mr. Cedric standing in her library, holding the last book she was missing.

"Here," he said, holding it out to her.

"Thanks," she skipped over and took it from him. Like all of his books this one was well cared for and clean.

"What were you doing?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Oh, sweeping," she said, blushing. She wasn't about to admit that she had been staring out at his tower.

"Right," he started to walk away and Sofia tried to think of something to make him stay. She was starting to get really lonely in the large library all by herself.

"So, you're the royal sorcerer, huh?" she said lamely.

"Yes," Mr. Cedric stopped and glanced back at her. He raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"That must be really exciting." Sofia tried to think of something else to say, but her mind was not cooperating.

"Not really," Cedric said. "Unless you find preforming magic tricks for children and visiting royalty… exciting," he added bitterly.

"Oh," Sofia said. She had no idea what to say to that, so she picked up her broom and started to sweep again. "That's too bad," she added awkwardly. In truth it really was, a powerful sorcerer doing nothing more than magic tricks seemed like a waste.

"Yes, well, goodnight Sofia," he said as he left.

"Goodbye Mr. Cedric," she said with a curtsy. She was curious to see if he noticed, and he did.

"I told you those formalities were unnecessary," he said stiffly.

"Sorry, I guess I forgot." She smiled at him. "Goodnight, Cedric."

He nodded, and left. Once he was gone she gave up on sweeping for the night. She picked up and held the book he had returned to her, deciding to place it back where it belonged and then go to bed. When she reached the rather miniscule section on magic in her library she realized that out of all the books the ones on magic were all in good condition. The shelf wasn't as dusty as the others, and the books were better organized than the other sections. She wondered if Cedric came by there often, which gave her some hope. He seemed so mysterious to her, and she was anxious to learn more about him.

After pacing a bit she went to bed, glancing out at the still lit window of the sorcerer's tower.

#

The next morning she took the library's allowance and went to the village. It was a market day and she had been instructed to expand the library as she pleased, keeping to a monthly stipend of course. She dressed in her cleanest dress, a simple brown and beige one she reserved for travelling in since the hem was shorter than her others. The village of Dunnwitty was just as busy as ever, but probably more so thanks to it being market day. Stalls opened up beside shops and performers had flocked to gain some profit from the crowds.

Sofia stopped to say a quick hello to her mother, and then went on to shops where she knew they sold books. Ruby was there, and she waved to her friend. The two didn't bother to say hello to each other, Ruby was no doubt in a hurry to return to her husband and small children. They had grown apart ever since Ruby's wedding, but Sofia didn't let that bother her too much. Her mother had told her it was only natural.

"Got anything interesting, Maurice?" Sofia asked the bookshop owner instead.

"Just got a new bundle of books in this morning. Old man Thomas passed away a few nights ago and these were in his personal library." He told her.

"His family didn't want them?" Sofia asked, kneeling down to look into the box he had pointed at. Nothing really caught her eye until the bottom. There was one book, old and wrapped in a strange smelling leather.

"Nope, 'fraid not. They're all priced at five silver, let me know if one interests you, Miss Sofia," he said. "Hey, aren't you working at the royal library now?"

"Yes, I am." Sofia picked up the old book and paged through it. The words were written in a language she didn't know.

"That's great, Sofia. Jobs at the castle are hard to come by,"

"I know," Sofia said. "I'll take this one." Sofia held up the strange musty book.

"That old thing?" Maurice took it from her and looked at it, wrinkling his nose. "It's not written in any language I've ever seen before, it's likely a coded ledger book."

"Coded ledger book?" she echoed.

"Sometimes paranoid old men try to hide their assets with codes," he said shrugging. "Are you sure you want this? It's probably nothing of interest."

"Yes, it'll be an intriguing acquisition regardless of what it is," Sofia said.

"If you say so," he said, shrugging.

#

She paid for the book and returned to the castle. She hadn't wanted to say anything then, but she thought she may have seen a similar language on one of Cedric's books. She was making her way to the tower when she bumped into the king.

"Your majesty," she said, curtsying low. "I acquired a new book for the library." She held it out to show him.

He smiled and took it from her, "Very interesting," he said.

"I think I may have seen similar writing on one of Mr. Cedric's books," she said when the king paged through it.

"So you've met Cedric," King Roland said.

"Yes, Sire." She said, taking the book back as he handed it to her.

"Well if that turns out to be an interesting find make sure to let me know," he said before walking away.

"Of course, your majesty." She curtsied as he left, and then resumed her trip to Cedric's tower. If this book was special in a magical way he would surely know about it.

#

Cedric was forcing images of the librarian out of his mind and focusing on another potion. This time he hoped to create an invisibility potion that lasted longer than the previous one. Just a few careful drops, and-

There was a loud knock at the door and it startled him. He dropped the whole vial into the cauldron and a puff of black smoke erupted with a loud bang. Cedric glared at the door, storming over to open it. He was tempted to ignore the knocking, but if it was one of the royal children or even the King he would get is some serious trouble for not answering a summons.

"Yes?" he opened the door and was startled to see who was standing there. The librarian he had been attempting to forget was standing there. She looked up at him with that same cheerful expression and casual smile that he continually pictured when he thought of her.

"Good afternoon, M- Cedric," she said. She had even started to grip her dress, but had released it. Cedric had no idea what had caused him to tell her not to bother with titles or formalities, but he was glad he did.

"Sofia," he said simply. He enjoyed saying her name, and was irritated at himself for it.

"I found this book in town, and I could have sworn that I saw something similar in your shelves," she held it out to him and he took it without really looking at it at first. He stepped aside to allow her in his workshop, and once she walked past him he caught a whiff of parchment and flowers. He finally looked down at the book in his hands, if only to keep his eyes off of her body as she moved. Seeing the book in his hands chased all thoughts of pretty librarians away. She had brought him one of the seven forbidden texts.

#

She glanced around the room, and then back at Cedric. He was staring down at the book she had handed to him. His face had gone quite pale, and she started to worry.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Where did you find this?" he opened it slowly and turned the pages gently. He moved absently towards his desk and sat down.

"I told you, the shop in town," Sofia said. She followed him and looked over his shoulder. The pages were mostly covered with that strange red text, but occasionally there were strange symbols sketched out. "What is it? Maurice thought it was some paranoid old man's ledger book."

"hmm," he said.

"It's not though, is it?" she asked.

"No, it isn't." Cedric closed the book and sniffed the cover. He shoved it away and then set it down on his desk.

"I knew it was something special," Sofia said. "Can you read the language?"

"Only a little," Cedric looked up at her. "This was just sitting on the shelf of a bookshop in town?"

"No, it was in a box." Sofia began to feel somewhat unsettled by Cedric's distant behavior. "Maurice said it was part of a collection that had belonged to old man Thomas who passed away recently."

"Old man Thomas?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't know much about him I'm afraid." Sofia was starting to regret not asking more questions.

"Well we need to find out more," Cedric stood and pulled a key out of his robe. He unlocked a drawer in his desk and placed the book in it.

"Wait, that belongs in the library," Sofia said.

"No, it doesn't Sofia. This book is dangerous, and it is safer here."

"but," Sofia frowned. "I already told King Roland about it, he'll want to know all of this. Is it really that dangerous?" she asked.

"Yes, it is. Come on, we'll go see the king."

**Sorry for the jerky POV switches :-/ and things get a little darker after this chapter just FYI... not sure why I originally intended for this to be a much fluffier piece lol. Also enjoy my super lovely cover that I made in a few seconds LOL i know I'm so talented (note the sarcasm) Not sure when I'll be uploading more since I have a friend in town, but don't worry I will complete it, I have to.**


	3. Chapter 3

3.

When Cedric found Baileywick he insisted to see the king right away. It was only then that he remembered that he had invited Sofia along with him. He glanced over at her, she was looking at him and when their eyes met she smiled. That smile. It was infuriating. He looked away and waited. How had this young woman stumbled so easily on such a text? He had never seen one before and had only heard of them. Supposedly they were destroyed, or horded in secret. Apparently this one had been the latter.

King Roland agreed to meet them in the throne room, and they headed there.

"So what kind of book is it?" She asked. It occurred to him that he hadn't explained it yet.

"It's one of the seven forbidden books of sorcery created by a sect of wizards who practiced black magic. They were bound in human skin and written with blood," he stopped when he saw the look of horror spread across Sofia's face. "It was a long time ago,"

"Why would anyone do that?" She asked.

"Power," he said absently until it dawned on him that it was the same thing he had spent most of his life searching for. Cedric had never considered looking into the dark arts, and didn't plan to now. Even as curiosity bloomed within him. "The spells in the books don't work. Several sorcerers have tried over the years and no one has succeeded. There is a good chance they never worked to begin with."

"So then why is the book dangerous?" Sofia asked, "I mean gross yeah, but if the spells don't work what's the harm?"

"The ingredients that the spells call for are worrisome," he said simply. He decided not to share his knowledge on that subject with her, she still looked pale.

"Oh," she said. "I guess it's a good thing I found it before someone else did."

"Yes, it is."

They waited together for the king to arrive, and Cedric filled him in.

"So what should we do now?" King Roland asked him.

"I want Miss Sofia to take me to where she bought the book and look into its previous owner." He remembered to add the Miss, thinking the king wouldn't approve of Cedric's spontaneous desire to drop the formalities between him and the librarian.

"Of course, you may take the coach. Keep me notified of anything important." King Roland nodded, and walked away, a trail of servants behind him.

"Come along Sofia," Cedric said.

#

Sofia sat next to Cedric in the coach, her hands in her lap. The hands that had touched the book. She shuddered, causing Cedric to look down at her. She gave him a weak smile, hoping not to alarm the sorcerer. He had spoken of the terrible book so easily, and she just couldn't bear to have him know how much it frightened her.

She took some comfort in the knowledge that whatever the dark spells were meant to achieve wouldn't occur, but then there were 'the ingredients' as Cedric had put it. That was something she didn't even want to imagine, especially considering the book's binding and ink.

The coach hit a bump, and she bounced. Her hands shot out to steady herself and one landed in Cedric's lap. She quickly pulled it away and apologized, face burning. He muttered something and looked away. Considering her earlier wish to spend more time with the sorcerer she tried to muster up a bit more excitement. After all, they were hunting down information on a rare book. Despite its macabre history it was still quite an interesting find. And she had bought it for only 5 silver.

"Are you still bothered by what I told you earlier?" Cedric asked her. She looked up at him, hands clasped tightly in front of her to avoid another… incident.

"A little," she admitted.

"Well the book is locked away now, so you don't have to worry about it any longer."

"I just always thought that magic was this wonderful thing, I had no idea it could be so… unsavory." She sighed and looked back down at her hands.

"Sofia," he said, nudging her. She looked up at him, and he retrieved his wand from his sleeve. He spoke a quick spell under his breath and conjured a single wildflower.

"Wow," she said. She reached out for it before she could stop herself. He tapped it with his wand again and it turned into a bird and flew away. "oh!"

"Magic _is_ wonderful," he told her.

"That was amazing." Sofia tried to contain herself. She wanted to squeal like a much younger girl. "Can you show me something else?"

"Sure," he said. She spent the rest of the short trip to the village watching Cedric do small magic tricks. He made flower petals float in the air, conjured small purple clouds that raced along the coach, and transformed a rock into a ruby. The gloom from earlier melted away as she watched him wave his wand and grin whenever she gasped with pleasure.

"You're such a great sorcerer, Cedric," she said. She felt so grateful to him in that moment, he had no obligation to try to cheer her up, but he had anyway. The coach stopped in the town and Sofia felt as if a large weight had lifted off of her shoulders. She started to believe she had made her very first friend at the castle.

"Now, show me where you bought that book," he said.

#

Cedric wasn't sure what made him do it, but he had grown tired of seeing her frown. It had been good to hear her laugh and see her smile again. The cheerful librarian had returned, and he found himself glad about that. He followed her through the town, watching the way she walked and finding himself getting distracted again.

He shook his head and reminded himself that he was there to seek out just who had owned that book before. If it had merely been an eccentric old man holding on to any strange bauble he came across fine, but if it had been something more sinister then he needed to know about it.

They finally stopped at a small shop filled with books. Cedric looked around as an older gentleman emerged from the back.

"Miss Sofia, couldn't stay away long could you?" the man asked.

"No, I guess not." Sofia smiled at him, which annoyed Cedric. Did the girl smile at everyone like that? "This is Cedric, the Royal Sorcerer." She introduced him. He nodded towards the shopkeeper and paced around the room.

"I want to know more about the man who owned the book Miss Sofia bought earlier today," Cedric said.

"Old man Thomas? Just a crazy old coot who lived out in the woods. He didn't have many friends or family, his entire estate was sold off and the profits donated to charity."

"So he had no heirs?" Cedric asked, and when the shopkeeper confirmed, he turned to Sofia. "Do you know where this man lived?"

"Yeah, but Maurice just said everything was sold off," she said.

"The cabin is abandoned. It's mostly empty, but I'm sure no one would mind if you guys went to take a look. So what was that book I sold you?" Maurice asked Sofia.

"Just an obscure magical text," Cedric answered for her. The less people who knew about the forbidden text the better.

"I guess you got it for quite a steal then, Miss Sofia." The shopkeeper winked at her, and then began tidying up a display.

"Thank you, Maurice." She said. Cedric tugged on her arm and they left.

"Take me to the cabin," Cedric said.

"It's starting to get dark, are you sure?" Sofia looked around. The sun was setting quickly, but this didn't bother Cedric.

"Yes, I'm sure. Are you scared?" he asked.

"No," Sofia said. She put her hands on her hips and asked, "Are you?"

"Me?" he asked, fighting the smile that tugged at his lips.

"Yes you," Sofia started to walk down the street, and he followed after her.

"No. I am not scared." Cedric felt rather amused by Sofia teasing him.

After walking just outside of town they took a trail through the trees and Sofia pointed out a small cabin. The sun had gone down, but the moon provided enough light to make out the general shape of the place.

"Perhaps you should stay here," Cedric said.

"I told you I wasn't scared," she said. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That's good, but I'd feel better if you stayed back." Cedric knew that if someone had known about the book they'd go looking for it. Especially if news of the old man's death had spread.

"Ok," she said. Cedric noticed the way the moon hit her skin and he had to look away.

"I'll be right back," he told her.

#

Sofia stood in the woods, alone, in the dark, and started to regret not following after Cedric. But she wasn't scared, she reminded herself. The night brought a symphony of sounds around her, crickets, owls, and nocturnal animals shuffled around her. She shifted her weight and tried to relax, but then she heard the barest rustle of leaves.

Turning to look behind her she had hoped to see a small animal, or maybe nothing. Perhaps she could blame it on the wind. But instead a large shadow stood a few feet away. She told herself it was a tree, but it began to move towards her.

Sofia's chest felt tight and she told her legs to run but they wouldn't move. Her heart began to pound in her throat and she tried to scream, or call out for Cedric, but her mouth was just as paralyzed as her feet.

It moved even closer and she saw a glint of light. A man wearing a hood emerged from the darkness, and he was holding a long curved dagger. Her body suddenly remembered how to flee, but it was too late. As soon as she turned to run an arm had snaked around her and she was pinned against the cloaked figure.

She cried out but was quickly muffled by a gloved hand, and then silenced by the cold metal touching her throat.

"You're the girl who bought the book, aren't you? Where is it?" a gruff voice asked.

#

Cedric easily unlocked the door to the cabin and stepped inside. The place smelled of mildew and smoke from a fireplace. The shopkeeper had been right though, the place was cleared out. He looked around for any tell-tale signs of dark magic, but couldn't find any. At least until he noticed a tiny symbol painted in the corner of the front window. It was a red circle with an 'X' inside of it, and Cedric recognized seeing it in the book. Whoever this old man was, he had known what the book was. Still, no matter how hard Cedric searched he could find no other traces of black magic. He was about to go over the rooms one more time when he heard Sofia cry out from the woods. A chill ran down his spine and he rushed out of the cabin.

He never should have left her alone, she would have been safer with him. Stupid, stupid, stupid, he thought. When Cedric got to the clearing his stomach sank, a man dressed in black robes was holding a knife to Sofia's throat.

"Stop right there." He said to Cedric.

"Let her go, she doesn't have any money." Cedric knew the man wasn't a bandit, but he didn't think letting the man know their true intentions was wise.

"I saw her buy the book in the market earlier today. Where is it?" the man said, pushing the knife against Sofia's skin and causing her to yelp.

"I don't know what you're talking about. That was simply a cookbook," Sofia said, and Cedric noticed that she was a terrible liar. He had to think fast.

"I have it," Cedric said. Of course he didn't, it was still safely locked away in his tower. However the distraction worked, the man tossed Sofia aside and stormed towards Cedric.

Before he could retrieve his wand a line of heat seared into his arm. He grabbed at the wound and bit his lip against the pain. The man was using dark magic, but he couldn't let that divert him. Even with the pain sending bursts of heat through his blood he grabbed for his wand and tried to think of an enchantment. Before either sorcerer could cast another spell, however, the hooded figure was struck hard in the back of the head with a large rock. Sofia stood over the now unconscious man, her hair disheveled and eyes wide with fear.

"Cedric! Are you alright?" She rushed over to him and gingerly looked at his arm.

"It's just a burn, I have something that will heal it back in my tower," Cedric spoke through gritted teeth. At least he hoped the salve would heal it, he wasn't sure how it would work against the magic the man had used. Black magic. Magic that wasn't supposed to exist anymore, if ever.

"What should we do with him?" Sofia asked, looking down at the man she had knocked out. Sofia stood close to him, and he found it distracting. Even with the blistering pain in his arm and the possible reemergence of black magic looming he still found himself preoccupied with the warmth of her presence. Then there was the way she smelled of wildflowers and just the hint of parchment, which was probably a side-effect of working in the library.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate on what to do now. He was in no position to carry the man into town, and Sofia was much too small to attempt it. They should have taken the coach, but then they had left it back at the book shop.

"I'm afraid we will have to leave him here." He considered suggesting a darker alternative. It would prevent the stranger from coming after Sofia again, but he didn't think she would tolerate it. "We can notify the guard when we get to town, and hope he stays out until they can reach him." Cedric tried to lift his arm with some success. The burn was starting to violently throb.

"I need to get to my workshop," he said.

"Of course," Sofia looked up at him with concern in her eyes. They walked back to the coach, and Cedric tried to imagine what he would do now. It looked like the cult of black magic practitioners was either still around, or someone was rebuilding it, but why?

**I know I normally post daily but the next chapter probably won't be up for maybe a week? I have a friend in town and I need to work on it still... This one will be a little more adult than the previous ones I've written just FYI (Hopefully I've expressed that enough! lol)**

**Hopefully you guys still like it :) Sorry if the characters are OOC, I'm trying to keep my A/U in mind while I write them lol**

**Also, feel free to follow me on tumblr, I do make posts about my fanfic, my username on there is: WafflesRtheBestProbably**

**:) thanks to everyone for the follows, favorites, and of course the reviews! I love hearing what you have to say and I do try to take it into consideration as I write**


	4. Chapter 4

4.

Once Sofia was back at the castle, she hesitantly left Cedric to speak to the king. The sorcerer was in a lot of pain, and it had steadily gotten worse. Her hands were shaking and when she finally saw the king she broke down in tears.

She told him everything as clearly as she could, and he nodded. Guards had been sent to retrieve the man, but she had no idea when she would know if he was in custody or not. King Roland reassured her that he would tell her as soon as he learned anything. He also informed her that it would be best if she stayed within the castle grounds for a while until everything got sorted. It was late so he insisted she go get dinner and then go to bed. She didn't want to though. She wanted to check on Cedric. However, the king had ordered it and she couldn't disobey him. With a shaky curtsy she left to pick up a quick meal and then go back to her library.

Once inside her library she felt a heaviness settle over her. She had taken a sandwich from the kitchen, but after a few nibbles had given up on it. She looked out her window to see that the light was on in Cedric's tower. The library was too quiet, so she finally retreated to her room.

Even though she was exhausted she was too unsettled to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she felt the knife on her throat, and had to rub the sensation away.

#

Cedric applied the salve, but it only took the edge off. He cursed and tried to think. Perhaps if he added more enchanted aloe to the mixture, he thought There was a knock on the door, and he got up to answer it. He found himself hoping to see a pair of big blue eyes but instead the King himself stood there.

"Your majesty," Cedric said, trying to bow. Unfortunately the pain in his arm was making him care very little for propriety. He leaned against the wall by the door, hoping the king would leave soon.

"How is your arm?" King Roland asked.

"Not very good," Cedric answered. He pushed off of the wall and staggered back to his desk. The pain was throbbing a little harder now, so he began crushing ingredients in his mortar. This time he added a lot of enchanted aloe. If this didn't work he wasn't sure what he would do. The pain was becoming intense.

"Sofia was quite rattled, can you manage to tell me what happened? She said you were attacked by someone looking for the book."

"Yes, we were." Cedric added the final ingredient and then ground the mixture into a thick paste. "And I found a symbol from the book on the cabin. This doesn't bode well, sire. That man was practicing very dark magic."

"I though black magic didn't work," King Roland said. Cedric applied the salve onto his burn, and felt a bit of temporary relief. The pain remained, but it was manageable. Hopefully it would heal quickly.

"I thought so too," he pointed at the burn on his arm, "However it would appear we were wrong."

"What does this mean?" King Roland asked.

"Hopefully nothing, but we won't know until the man in the woods is questioned."

"I want you to study that book, Cedric. And then maybe we should find a way to destroy it."

"Of course, your majesty." Cedric nodded, and again hoped that the king would leave. Of course he planned to study the book, but destroying it was another matter entirely. If the black magic spells worked he wanted to know all about them. It would take some time to translate the book, and then he wanted to try one of the spells. He knew he shouldn't, but perhaps he could find a spell with components that weren't too terrible. The king didn't need to know any of this.

Cedric knew what the rumors about him were, and the temptation of silencing those rumors with magic, even dark violent magic, was too strong to resist.

#

Sofia woke up after a horrible night of tossing and turning. She wasn't even sure she had fallen asleep, but she must have. She leaned up, and rubbed her eyes. Her stomach grumbled and she left to seek out the kitchens.

As she sat quickly eating her breakfast the servants around her were unnaturally quiet. They looked at her and they whispered. She knew they were probably exchanging rumors about what had happened last night, but she was in no mood to discuss it. She just wanted to finish her meal, check on Cedric, and then get back to work. Claiming some normalcy back into her life is what she thought she wanted. But then there was all the business about that book. Cedric hadn't told her what, if anything, he had found in the cabin. Maybe he could tell her today. Even though it scared her she was still fascinated. It was like an adventure out of one of her books.

After she finished eating she rushed up the stairs to the tower and knocked on Cedric's door. She bounced from one foot to the other, impatient to see him. He had looked so poorly the night before, and she wanted desperately to see that he was doing better now. Her heart was beating faster and harder until she thought it would burst out of her chest. She tried to ignore her building worries, and knocked again. She was growing more and more anxious with each second.

The door opened slowly, and there he stood. He wasn't wearing his sorcerer's robe. In fact he wasn't wearing much at all, just pants. Her breath caught, and she saw his arm. It was wrapped up in a white bandage, but the skin around it looked red. His eyes were blood-shot and swollen, and his whole body seemed to tremble.

He didn't say anything, just moved aside and let her through. Then he staggered back to the desk where he was working.

"Cedric," she whispered. She blinked away tears, knowing now wasn't the time to break down into hysterics. "What's wrong with your arm?"

"I don't know," he muttered. There were books scattered all over the tower. Vials, beakers, decanters, and bowls of ingredients were strewn about. There was a horrible mix of herbal smells in the air.

"Have you been doing this all night? By yourself? You're trying to heal your arm aren't you?" Sofia gasped. She rushed to his side and looked over his shoulder to see what he was currently working on.

"Yes, I can't seem to heal the burn." He traced a list of ingredients for an anecdote for poison. So it looks like he was getting desperate.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Yes." His words were clipped, and she knew that the answer should have been obvious.

"What have you tried?" she grabbed his shoulder so he would look at her.

"Everything," he snapped. "Now, if you don't mind I need to get back to work." He didn't move, but he was glaring at her. She fought off any hurt she might feel from his words, it was the pain talking.

"A salve for burns?" she asked.

"Obviously."

"Ointment for wounds?"

"Of course."

"Pain relievers?"

"Yes, yes!"

"What about a counter-curse?" she asked. Cedric opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut again. His eyes grew wide and he jumped up from the chair. He ran, only stumbling a little bit, to one of his bookshelves and pulled out a large gray book.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner," he grumbled.

"How can I help?" she asked, looking over his shoulder again. He opened the book and flipped through the pages.

"You can't help," he said. Then he stopped, and closed his eyes, "But, you already did help. Thank you for your suggestion." His hands were shaking as he resumed turning the pages.

"Well, I can get ingredients for you, or smash them. Mix things. Anything, really. I'm not leaving you until your arm is better." Sofia put her hands on her hips, and dared him with her eyes to argue. He didn't. She might get in trouble for neglecting the library, but so be it. This was more important. A surge of anger at the king and the servants of the castle hit her, why had they just left him up here to deal with this alone?

"Grab that jar of white petals over there," Cedric said, pointing.

"Ok," she said, handing over the jar once she had retrieved it.

"Can you place 4 of the petals into here." Cedric pointed at a black cauldron. She nodded and did as he told her. He had her retrieve and add several more ingredients, and then pour a thick purple liquid over it all. There was a sizzling and the mixture began to melt.

"Is it supposed to do that?" she asked.

"Yes, stir please." Cedric's voice sounded so weak. He was carefully unraveling the bandage to reveal the burn. It was blistered and angry, Sofia had to look away. She focused on stirring, and fought off the fear.

"How much longer?" she asked, stirring vigorously. This just had to work, she thought.

"That's good. Take this," he handed her a clean rag. "And put it in the mixture. Let it soak up as much as possible, then, um, can you, apply it?" Cedric pointed weakly at his wound.

"Of course," she said, doing as he had instructed. She dipped the rag in, and let it soak up as much of the thick strangely-sweet smelling liquid as she thought it could. Then she placed it directly on the burn. Cedric hissed, and jerked back, but when she tried to pull it away he placed his hand over hers and pressed down onto the wound.

Their eyes met, and Sofia held her breath. She was desperate for a sign that this had worked, and that the burn was gone. Cedric's lips parted ever so slightly, and Sofia raised her eyebrows in silent questions.

"It worked," he said finally. He slowly pulled his hand away from her and removed the rag. Under the mess of the goop his skin appeared normal. The redness was gone.

"Oh, Cedric!" Sofia cried. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into an awkward embrace. He had to grab the desk to keep them both from toppling over onto the floor. "I should have come back last night to check on you. I'm so sorry," she said. He felt stiff in her arms so she pulled away, blushing at what she had done. And at how nice it had felt, if she was honest with herself.

"Don't apologize," he said. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears and smiled at him.

"Sorry about that, I just felt so relieved," she said.

"Don't worry about it, but I really need to get some sleep, so…"

"Oh! Right," Sofia said. She didn't want to leave, but knew that she should. "Do you need any help getting to your bed?" she asked.

"N-no." Cedric turned his back to her and shifted some of the books on his desk around.

"Ok, I should probably get back to the library anyway…" Sofia trailed off. She didn't want to get fired after all. Even if her first few days had been so trying. Sofia let herself out, and walked solemnly back to the library. Even though she knew that Cedric must be exhausted, she wanted to stick around and ask him questions. But, it wasn't her place. What would the castle steward, or even the king, say if they found out she was trying to shirk her duties in favor of spending time with the sorcerer? In a few days she would have a free day, and could maybe approach Cedric then.

#

Cedric covered his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. The pain was gone. Most of it anyway, his head still throbbed from lack of sleep, food, and water. Sleep, he decided, was priority. He needed to forget the way she had looked at him, the way she had touched him, and even hugged him. She was a distraction, he reminded himself. There was a book to translate, and it could possibly be the key to everything he ever wanted.

He stepped carefully down to his room, trying to focus on anything but the montage of images flashing through his mind. The librarian smiling at him, laughing, humming, worrying, biting her lip, flipping her hair, looking into his eyes.

Cedric shook his head and collapsed on his bed. Sleep came easily, for once.

**A/N: sorry about the wait! Chapter 5 will likely take some time as well, but next week I'll have more free time to spend on this... I feel like it's starting kind of slow? opinions? I know where I want to go with this, but not sure how long/short it will be I'm sort of just trying to let the story set it's on pace. I would love some feedback :) and thanks for everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed so far - you guys rock.**


	5. Chapter 5

5.

Sofia forced herself to spend the rest of the day working in the library. She fought the urge to stare out her window at Cedric's tower. Eventually she got quite a bit of work accomplished, and left for dinner. As she passed servants in the halls she smiled, but they looked away. The closer she got to the servant's dining hall the more paranoid she became. She looked down at her dress, glanced at her reflection in mirrors she passed, and even tried to smell her breath.

When she arrived at dinner she retrieved a plate of food and found a place to sit by herself. She frowned down at her food, wondering why she hadn't seemed to be able to make any friends here yet. Of course she knew she had been rather busy, but still. She pushed vegetables around on her plate with her fork, and glanced around the room. She noticed a lot of quickly averted gazes, and whispers.

After managing a few bites, she disposed of her dinner and approached the nearest maid.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully, attempting her biggest and friendliest smile. "My name is Sofia, I work in the library."

"I know who you are," the maid replied curtly.

"Oh, well, um what's your name?" Sofia asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"I have work to do," the maid said, walking away. Sofia felt defeated, she looked around the room and everyone was ignoring her. She wiped her hands off on her dress and left the room.

She had gotten a few feet when another maid caught up to her.

"Miss Sofia," she said.

"Yes?" Sofia said, feeling wary.

"Don't mind Vicky, she's a real grump. My name is Meg," the girl held out her hand and Sofia shook it happily.

"Is it just me, or does no one here like me?" Sofia couldn't stop herself from asking.

Meg's face fell, "Oh," she said. "It's not that, well, you see," Meg bit her lip and wrinkled her nose. "There are just a lot of rumors going around about you, is all."

"Rumors?" Sofia asked, shocked. She hadn't even been employed here that long and had still managed to cause rumors. Most likely due to the book.

"Um, how about I come by the library?" Meg said, looking around. She spoke quietly and Sofia got the impression that the maid would tell her more away from prying eyes.

"Ok," Sofia said, shrugging. She led the way and Meg followed. The conversation quickly turned to the maid and her life. She had grown up in the village just like Sofia had, but had taken a job as a maid a few years ago. With a blush she admitted it had been her girlish hope to get close to Prince James.

"Ah, well, you wouldn't be the first one, I'm sure." Sofia laughed. The prince was very popular among just about every girl she knew.

Sofia found herself starting to relax, and when they reached the library she almost didn't bring up the rumors. But, she really wanted to know.

"So can you tell me about the rumors now?" Sofia asked. She started to set up some books she had pulled out to display, while Meg sat in an empty armchair.

"You're new so you haven't adapted to the hierarchy yet," Meg said simply.

"Hierarchy?" Sofia asked, pausing to turn and look at the maid.

"Among the servants," she said, shifting in the chair so she could hold both of her hands out in front of her. "There are the ones on the bottom, like me and you and most everyone else. Then there," she moved one hand up slightly, "are the servants who attend to the royal family,"

"Like Baileywick?" Sofia asked.

"No, like Violet."

"I haven't met her," she said.

"The ones who help the royals get dressed and so on," Meg clarified. Sofia nodded, encouraging her to go on. "Then above them are the servants like Baileywick."

"So? What does that have to do with me?" Sofia asked, abandoning her display. She supposed the hierarchy made sense, but just not how that had anything to do with her.

"You've been spending a lot of time with the royal sorcerer ever since you got here, and while he technically isn't a servant," Meg shrugged. "People talk."

"That's ridiculous. I-"

"Look, I don't believe them." Meg said. "But, if I were you I would keep your distance for a while and then the rumors will die out."

Sofia frowned and turned back to her display. "I just don't get what the big deal is?" she said. Staying away from Cedric was the last thing she wanted to do.

"People think you're trying to, uh, charm your way up the ladder. Sort of," Meg said delicately. Sofia blushed, finally understanding what Jade was trying to say.

"That's stupid." Sofia continued setting the books up, and bit her lip. "We're only friends." She added. Her heart was starting to race, and she tried to will it to slow back down. Could people really think that about her, she wondered?

"It is, but you get used to it. I better go, but we should hang out next meal, you can sit by me." Meg hopped off the chair, and Sofia waved at her as she left cheerfully. Once Meg was gone she let the smile vanish. She turned back to her work and muttered under her breath. Sofia had never been accused of manipulation like that before, but maybe it was a common threat here in the castle.

Meg had even admitted to taking her job to get close to the Prince, so maybe it was just something that everyone looked down on? She hadn't taken the job to get close to anyone! She had no ulterior motive, or grand plan of moving up in the classes. She rolled her eyes and decided to drop it. She wouldn't let those silly rumors bug her any more.

Even though she was annoyed she eventually relaxed and fell into the rhythm of setting the library up. Even though she had planned to check up on Cedric later that evening, she put it off. Maybe it really was improper for her to be spending so much time with him, besides they both had work to do. The business of the dark magic book had really left her hands at this point.

When it was time for bed she only spent a short amount of time glancing at the tower through her window. Now that she was alone and with nothing to do to keep busy she couldn't stop herself from thinking. About the book, Cedric, the rumors, Meg, the man in the woods, everything spun around in her head until she squeezed her eyes shut. Sleep would take time, but she was determined to ignore her worries until later.

One day at a time, she reminded herself.

#

Eventually Sofia fell asleep, and she tossed and turned. Nightmares flashed throughout the night, and when she finally woke up she felt horrible. But then, when she opened her eyes she found true horror in the red writing scribbled along the wall next to her door.

_WHERE IS THE BOOK_

The words were written in blood red… Sofia hoped, paint. Someone had been in her room while she slept. Her breathing grew rapid as she threw off the covers, looking around the room. She was alone, at the moment. She opened the door to the library, and gasped at the sight before her. Books were strewn about everywhere. Shelves were knocked over. Torn pages littered the floor. Worst of all was the message that had been in her room was also written all over the walls. Over and Over.

She screamed.

#

Cedric was starting the translation of the forbidden text when a knock interrupted him. He dropped his head in his hands and groaned. He'd only gotten the first page done so far, and it was merely a threat to not read further if you weren't part of their order.

He opened the door, and it was Baileywick. The steward was clearly shaken up, which put Cedric on edge.

"King Roland requests your presence in the library, immediately!" he said.

"Why?" Cedric asked, but he tensed. The library.

"There was a break-in last night, it has something to do with some book," Baileywick spoke easily, despite being out of breath. Cedric felt the blood drain from his face.

"What happened?" Cedric asked, he thought of Sofia. Her room was inside the library, had something happened to her? His chest felt tight. Did this strange cult think she had the book?

"I don't know, I haven't been there yet. I've only heard everything second hand." Baileywick admitted.

"What about Sofia?" he asked.

"The librarian?" Baileywick asked, his brow furrowed.

"Yes, the librarian." Cedric felt annoyed at himself for speaking of her so casually, but it was fleeting. He was too worried to concern himself about it now.

"I don't know," He said.

Cedric retrieved his wand, and transported himself directly to the library with magic. When the green smoke cleared the disaster of the place came into view. He looked around desperately. Everything was a mess, and a threating message had been written on the walls,

_WHERE IS THE BOOK_

Luckily, the forbidden text hadn't been in the library. It was still safely locked away in his tower. The room was filled with servants, but no one was doing more than talking amongst themselves. King Roland stood in the center, speaking earnestly to his Captain of the Guard.

"Your majesty," Cedric said, bowing but still looking around for Sofia. "What happened here?"

"A break-in, I thought maybe you'd know more about it. No one came in through mundane means, but no one but you should be able to transport within castle walls."

Cedric caught the accusal in the king's voice, but ignored it. There were dozens of ways to enter the castle unnoticed. The blood-red color of the writing was what truly alarmed him, "The librarian?" he asked.

"She's just outside the hall, asking for you actually. Go see what information you can extract from her. I'm afraid when I spoke to her she was too shaken to be much help."

So she was alive, Cedric felt uncomfortably relieved. He nodded, and walked out to see her. This had been a warning, and they were targeting Sofia. The man from the night before was in custody, so it was possible they knew nothing about Cedric's involvement.

He saw Sofia sitting on a bench, wrapped in a blanket, alone. She was only a few feet away from the library, and despite her shivering no one was checking on her. He approached her slowly, noting the paleness of her face, wide eyes, and chattering teeth. The poor girl looked traumatized.

Cedric decided to sit down next to her, and see if she said or did anything. When she turned to look at him, she whispered his name. His heart sank, this was his fault. He should have anticipated retaliation. The forbidden text would likely have multiple parties seeking it out, even without the strange cult mentioned in the book.

"It's alright," Cedric said, hoping to calm her down a bit.

"Cedric," she said softly.

"The book is still safely locked away," he said, sensing her unspoken question. "Did they hurt you?"

Sofia shook her head no, but didn't speak. She looked away and Cedric wasn't sure what to do. He put his arm around her, and was surprised when she leaned in and began to cry quietly. He felt so awkward, but stayed as still as he could. When she calmed down again he could ask her more questions, but not now.

Whoever sought out the book needed to be dealt with, it belonged to Cedric now. Even if it was officially the king's it may as well be his. He thought of it, sitting on his desk. Was it the cult or perhaps a group of sorcerer's who fancied themselves one? Was the man involved or could it be separate individuals. There were too many variables. King Roland approached them, sparing only a raised eyebrow to the position Cedric had found himself in. Sofia still wept, and had buried her face into his chest.

"Has she said anything?" King Roland asked.

Cedric shook his head in response. She was still too upset to speak.

"So what's going on, do you know who did this?" he asked.

"My guess would be associates with the sorcerer you have locked up, the one who attacked us at the cabin. I suggest we question him to learn exactly what we're up against, Sire"

"Hm," King Roland covered his eyes, and then Baileywick joined them. "That won't work unfortunately. He's dead."

"Dead?" Cedric asked.

"He took his life before we could question him," King Roland said. "I think it would be best if you destroyed that book."

"I can't do that!" Cedric spoke before he could stop himself. He had to think quickly, and added, "It contains information that will help us find whoever is seeking the book out. The book mentions a cult of dark magic sorcerers and whoever broke-in last night could be part of them, or at least want to be." Which was true, but it wasn't why Cedric didn't want to destroy the book. There was too much to learn from it.

"A cult?" a small voice asked. Cedric looked down to see Sofia pull away from him, leaving a damp spot on his robe.

"Did you see or hear anything last night?" King Roland asked her, seeing that she seemed to be calmer now. Cedric removed his arm from around her, and tried to shake the desire to put it back.

"It happened while I was asleep. When I woke up I saw the words written on my wall," Sofia shuddered and Cedric felt sick. "Then I saw what had happened in the library."

"I spoke to constable Miles, he thinks it would be best to move you to the general servant's quarters, though I don't know what we will have you do until the library is fixed up again," King Roland said. Cedric couldn't believe they wanted to put her in such an open unprotected area, believing the crowd would make her safe. These people were involved in the dark arts, they weren't going to be dissuaded by bystanders.

"I disagree," Cedric said. "She can stay in my tower, I have a spare room." The words left his mouth before he realized just what he was offering. Still, he went on, "She can help me translate the text." He felt Sofia stiffen beside him. "If she wishes," he added, in case she found the suggestion disagreeable. "But she will be safer there. My tower isn't easy to access, and she already knows about the book so there is no harm in letting her help me."

"That sounds fine to me," King Roland agreed, but looked to Sofia to hear her thoughts on the matter.

The librarian looked from Cedric to the King and then nodded her head, "Yes, that sounds safest."

#

Sofia couldn't believe that Cedric had offered her a place to stay in _his tower_. She only gave a small thought to the way the rumors would catch fire when news of _that_ spread around, before nodding. A chance to learn more about the forbidden text and the royal sorcerer, of course she'd take it. Not to mention how much safer she would feel with him. Then there was the fact that none of the servants, except Meg, seemed to care for her at all.

She glanced at Cedric, but he wasn't looking at her. She saw the wet spot on his robe from where she had cried and felt herself blush. She could apologize to him later, but crying had made her feel a lot better. Though, she still shuddered to think that someone had been standing in her room, writing a threat on her wall while she slept.

**A/N: I have ch 6 written, it needs revised, and ch 7 is in progress. You can thank my insomnia LOL. Hopefully I'll post more in a few days (if not sooner) Hope you guys enjoy :)**

**Amber will be making a brief appearance soon, I still haven't worked out James. **

**aaaaand question: would the readers like some 'M' rated stuff? I've considered giving it a go and I have a scene coming up and is lending itself to it quite nicely so just wanted some thoughts, review or PM me :) (I can always just fade to black)**

** Review if you like, I love opinions good or bad, as long as they aren't just hateful or something lol**

**BONUS: song's I've been listening to for inspiration: **

**Civil Wars - devil's backbone**

**Civil Wars - dust to dust**

**plumb - don't deserve you**

**a great big world - say something**


	6. Chapter 6

6.

Sofia was moved into his tower later that day. Cedric had a spare room across from his own in the lower, private, area of his tower. There was a main room where the two branched off. She found the proximity scandalous but also exciting.

They spent the first few days collecting every book that could hold any mention of the forbidden texts or the cult. Sofia couldn't go into the library, but she could tell Cedric where they should be. She just couldn't force herself to see the state of things so soon.

Sofia poured over them, taking notes of any mention, while Cedric carefully translated the forbidden text. She tidied the tower and retrieved their meals while he worked, ignoring the blatant looks she was now getting from the other servants. She had passed Meg a few times, and the maid always smiled. However, neither of them seemed to have time to stop and chat.

One night she had fallen asleep, using a thick historical text as a pillow. When she woke up it was still the middle of the night. She glanced over to see Cedric still hunched over his desk. He was awake, so she approached him slowly, trying not to startle him.

"Cedric?" she said softly, and he turned back to look at her. "Find anything new?" she asked, not sure what else to say. She wanted to ask why he kept his distance from her now, even while sharing the same space.

"Initiation rites," he said slowly. He didn't explain further, but she wanted him to. She knew that he didn't think she could handle some of the more disturbing aspects of the book. After the break-in she felt ready for just about anything. She studied his face, his eyes looked swollen and he was paler than usual.

"You should get some sleep," she told him.

"I could use some air, actually." He stood up and stretched. "I'm going for a walk."

"I'll go with you," she offered, and hoped he didn't try to make her stay behind.

Cedric looked at her a moment, considering, and then shrugged. She happily trailed after him as he made his way through the silent castle. There were a dozen things she wanted to talk to him about, but he didn't appear very talkative so she tried to just enjoy his company. It had been the first time they weren't working on the book or researching the cult since she had been moved into the tower.

The night air was warm and fragrant from the gardens. Sofia followed Cedric as he walked about aimlessly, stopping and starting at random as if he wasn't really sure where he wanted to go. Finally he stopped, and stood staring off past the hedge maze. She stood alongside him, letting the wind blow through her hair, creating tangles she'd have to brush out later.

In the calm and quiet evening images of her nightmares fought to gain her attention. She absently touched her throat and shook the images of blood red words from her thoughts. She couldn't bear it any longer, so she finally spoke.

#

Cedric was content to stand quietly but Sofia had other ideas. He could feel her buzzing with the desire to speak, and had been grateful that she had held out this long. His mind was too preoccupied with the contents of the book, and worries about the cult. And then there was the ever-present distraction of the librarian who he had offered his small piece of the castle to. Why had he done that again?

"You don't sleep much, do you?" she said. He wasn't sure what to say, so he shrugged. His mind had gone sluggish with the lack of sleep, even when he was in bed he tossed and turned. More thoughts. More worries. And her, humming to herself as she flipped pages and walked through his door with their meals. It was enough to keep him awake for days. He watched her, she was rubbing her throat and biting her lip. Cedric knew that she had nightmares, because he had heard her wake up with a startled gasp on more than a few occasions.

"You must hate being cooped up in the tower all the time," he said.

"Not really," she smiled up at him. He could feel his eye twitch, that smile. "It's all kinds of exciting, though also dangerous. But then that makes it even more thrilling, doesn't it?" She chuckled, and he found himself smiling in return.

"You like danger?" he asked, thinking her mad.

"Adventure. I didn't think it would be this dangerous, I thought it would be like in a book," she shook her head and closed her eyes, lifting her chin against the wind that ruffled her hair. He watched her and felt his heart begin to race, so he looked away.

"Books make everything sound better than it truly is," he said finally. Then he turned back to leave, she seemed to sense him going and followed him.

#

More nights passed and they were fairly uneventful. Translation was going slowly and Sofia couldn't find anything in the books about the cult. More and more often they would take breaks, and Sofia would go walking with Cedric. It was their one chance to talk about something other than the exhaustive search they had both committed to. It gave her an opportunity to make him laugh and smile and for a brief moment they could both relax.

Sofia was starting to get to know him, and he was starting to get to know her. They talked about their lives before the castle, and their families. She learned that he hated having his name mispronounced, and that he was close to his mother but not as much to his father. They exchanged stories and jokes and then fears.

It was on one of these nightly walks, where the air was cooler than usual, that the realization had hit her. One moment Sofia was walking in time with Cedric, laughing at something he had said, when she looked over and saw him smiling at her. Suddenly all she could hear was her heart beating in her chest. She knew it before she knew it, and it made her equal parts giddy and anxious. She was in love.

#

Cedric finally managed to translate a page that could be of some use to him. A spell that didn't involve any human parts. It was a poison designed for crops, and he could easily test it on a small potted container without causing too much damage. But then, he looked at Sofia, what would she say if she knew what he was up to?

He finally decided to keep it a secret, but with her staying with him it would be difficult to conceal what he was doing. After some planning he decided he could go get the ingredients himself, and then he could concoct the potion in his rooms, the one last private place he had.

Then he caught her humming, she had abandoned her research to organize his notes on the translations. She skimmed them, pausing to wrinkle her nose at one of the things he had written. Then she went right back to humming. Cedric found himself stopping his work to watch her often. Her eyes caught his and he looked away, pretending to scribble a note. His stomach did flips and he bit his lip to settle it. He had grown quite fond of her, without meaning or even wanting to.

#

Cedric left the next afternoon to procure the components for the potion. He had already set up a small area in his room to mix it, sneaking what he needed away and hoping Sofia didn't notice. He hated to keep it a secret, but with everything that had happened to her she wouldn't understand the usefulness of black magic. He knew that if she knew what he was doing she would try to talk him out of it, and he feared she would succeed.

He left for the marketplace, and met a contact there who sold shadier things. He got what he wanted, and concealed it in the bottom of his pack. He walked back to the castle, pleased at what he had accomplished.

#

Sofia tried to focus on the text she was reading, but she really doubted any mention of the cult would be in the 'princess handbook'. Of course, there were histories documented throughout the text so there was the possibility, just a really thin one. She sighed heavily, but then a loud knock caused her to jump out of her seat. Cedric didn't knock, and for a moment she just stared at the door. No one had ever come to the sorcerer's tower when he was away and she was here alone. Fear froze her, even though she knew she needed to answer it. It could be a summons, or message, or just another servant.

When the knocking became more persistent she forced herself to walk towards the door. An assassin wouldn't knock, she reasoned. If someone had come to take the book, or hurt her, they wouldn't knock. The door handle was cold, she turned the lock and opened it.

"Finally! Cedric I need you to," A soft voice said. The voice belonged to Princess Amber, Sofia immediately curtsied, and moved to let her inside the tower. "You're not Cedric," Princess Amber pointed out.

"No, your majesty, I am not." Sofia curtsied again for good measure, "I am Miss Sofia, the librarian," She told her.

"The Librarian? Then why are you in Cedric's tow- oh," Princess Amber smirked at her. "Who would have thought?"

"It's not like that, Princess." Sofia felt the blush creep into her cheeks before she could stop it. Had the king not filled her in? "I'm helping him with the research." She wasn't sure how much she should say, if the princess didn't know.

"Oh, on that grisly book, thing?" Princess Amber waved her hand in the air to dismiss the subject. "Anyway, when will Cedric be back?"

"I'm not sure," Sofia said. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Hm, not likely," Princess Amber looked her up and down, a finger resting on her chin. "I want a spell to make my gown sparkle like gold for tonight's ball. Would you be a dear and tell him for me?"

"Yes, of course, Princess Amber," Sofia nodded, forcing a smile on her face. She knew how well Cedric would take this request.

"Good! Thank you, uh, Sofia was it?" she asked, and Sofia nodded. "Right then, thank you." With that the princess left. Sofia shut the door behind her and sighed. Maybe if she located the spell for him, he wouldn't be in such a sour mood. She could even get the ingredients ready.

There was a ball tonight, and she hadn't even noticed. Sofia smiled as she scanned the titles of magical texts for the one that would contain the spell Cedric would need. When she found it she pulled it out and flipped through the pages to find the list of things she would need to gather. She started to sway and then danced around the room, collecting magical components and laughing at herself. She could almost hear the music. A royal ball, she had never been to one. She twirled and when the door opened she continued with only a mischievous glance at Cedric. Her heart sped up at the sight of him, and she reached for his hands. He set his bag down and she forced him into an awkward dance, laughing and softly singing nonsense. It looked more like a game of ring-around-the-rosy.

Cedric seemed willing to appease her desire for silliness, and this made Sofia especially happy. She almost didn't want to break the moment, but who knew how long it would take for him to do as the Princess had asked. Finally she stopped, hesitantly releasing his hands and trying to catch her breath.

"Princess Amber has requested a spell to make her dress glitter," Sofia told him, wincing in preparation for his change in mood. But it never came. He still smiled at her, and looked past her to the desk.

"You gathered the ingredients?" he said, going to examine them.

"Yes, did you know there was a ball tonight?" she asked. She watched him sit down to start the spell, and so she sat in a nearby stool so she could observe him.

"I think I remember something about it," he said slowly, then looked at her. "I believe King Roland requested me to go and preform some magic, actually."

"Oh, really?" She was amazed that he wasn't grumbling or complaining. He hated doing 'parlor tricks' as he called it.

"Yes, would you like to accompany me?" he looked away as he said it, and started to work on the spell. Sofia blinked, trying to work out all the meanings she could gain from his offer.

"Of course I would, I've never been to a ball." She handed him a vial he was reaching for.

"We won't be guests, not really, but you can act as my assistant. Then I won't have to force myself to make small talk with anyone," he shrugged, "it'll be rather dull I'm afraid."

"I don't mind, it'll be nice to get out of this tower for something other than food." Sofia hoped that he didn't notice the giddiness in her voice. She would get to see royalty and nobility waltzing around in fancy gowns and witness one of Cedric's magic shows. It promised to be a grand evening overall, though she was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be attending as a guest.

When Cedric finished the potion that the princess had requested he sent for a servant to take it to her. Sofia left to her room to find something to wear. She didn't have much, but something in her closet would have to do. She was only going as Cedric's assistant, she reminded herself, and so no one would expect her in something fantastic.

Finally, she settled on a simple navy blue dress she usually wore on special occasions. The color looked nice on her, and it was made of a nice soft fabric. She wrapped her hair up in a quick, messy updo. She was unable to achieve anything better in such short amount of time. Then she went to find Cedric. He was emerging from his room, still in his sorcerer's robe.

"Will this do?" She asked, holding her arms out wide and doing a delicate spin so he could see the whole dress. He stared at her for a moment, and it made her feel a little nervous. "Should I just wear my usual dress?"

"No," he said quietly. Then he cleared his throat, "no, that works great."

"Good, because it's been ages since I've had an excuse to wear it." Sofia checked her reflection in one of Cedric's mirrors and fussed with her hair a bit.

"Sofia?" Cedric said behind her. She turned, smiling at him.

"Yeah?" she said, perfectly aware that she was acting like a fool.

"You look beautiful," he said tenderly, shocking her. He grabbed his bag, the one for preforming, and held an arm out for her. She was still beaming from his compliment, and happily took his arm so he could escort her. In the back of her mind the rude rumors were laughing at her, and how they had become somewhat truer. But, she didn't care. Cedric looked happy, and it looked good on him.

**I stayed up late to finish revising this! lol so I hope you enjoyed it. I received mixed reactions to adding 'M' rated content, so I think I'll keep it 't' for now unless it just sort of happens naturally. I am probably overestimating my writing when compared to what constitutes the rating anyway... but you'll see what I mean in the next chapter. I tend to romanticize it so don't expect smut (at least what I consider smut? I have no idea and I'm rambling now...)**

**Oh! and in Chapter 3 in the A/N i said you could follow me on twitter... except I meant tumblr LOL I don't have a twitter. Sorry if you tried to find me on there. My tumblr is: wafflesrthebestprobably **

**Thanks to everyone who PM'd me, reviewed, fav'd follow'd and so on, it means a lot! :) I love hearing from you guys.**

**Also hope you enjoyed the Princess Amber Cameo!**


	7. Chapter 7

7.

Cedric escorted Sofia down to the ball, which was already bustling. The king would want him to perform his magic earlier in the evening, to impress the guests and put them in a good mood. They entered the ballroom, and Baileywick found him quickly. The old steward smirked at him upon seeing the librarian on his arm, but turned a full smile to Sofia.

"Miss Sofia, you look lovely," he said to her.

"Thank you, sir," Sofia curtsied, releasing Cedric's arm to do so. "I'm assisting Cedric with his magic," she told him.

"I always thought Cedric's act would benefit from a charming assistant. And I have some good news for you, actually,"

"Oh?" Sofia said. Cedric wondered if she could pick up on the way Baileywick was poking fun at him, but it didn't seem like it.

"The library is ready for you to return, you can report there in the morning. Of course a guard will be outside of the entrance at all times, and you can still spend your nights in the tower," Baileywick shot a sly look at Cedric, "if you wish."

"That's wonderful. I'll get right back to work," Sofia said, and Cedric noted how flat her voice sounded. Was she sad to go back to library work, spend less time with him, or was it something else, he wondered. He decided to ask her about it later.

Baileywick showed them where to wait until it was time for the show, a small table along the wall where they could sit, and watch. Drinks had been brought to them, which he ignored. He watched Sofia take a small sip then make a face before politely setting it back down. A strand of her hair was gently stroking her neck, and he fought the urge to reach out and brush it away. He couldn't touch her, if he did he might not be able to stop. He loved the way she looked in the simple blue dress, it brought out her eyes and complimented her skin. As far as he was concerned she looked better in that dress than all the royal women in their grand gowns.

He knew he was developing feelings for the librarian, and the more he realized it the less he fought it. She was kind, clever, and ridiculously cheerful. He didn't have any presumptions on her feelings towards him, however. She was sweet with everyone she met, and he knew he couldn't be all that appealing to her. He was older, grumpier, and besides, he needed to focus on his work. But there was no reason he couldn't enjoy being around her.

Sofia seemed to be having a lot of fun just watching everyone dance and mingle. When she saw Princess Amber in her sparkling dress she nudged him and pointed, as if anyone could miss that display of grandeur.

"She looks very beautiful," she whispered, leaning close to him. He wanted to tell her that the princess wasn't anything compared to her. He wanted to tell her how lovely her eyes were, how perfect her smile was, but he just nodded. He had already complimented her once, and wasn't sure how she would react if he blathered on like an idiot.

When the time came for him to perform his act he did so easily, not messing up once. Sofia stood beside him and helped him when he needed it. He rather liked having her as an assistant, though it couldn't have been a lot of fun for her. Finally it was over and he happily packed up his things and left the party, Sofia seemed hesitant to go, but once the buzz of the party-goers faded she perked up immensely. She wrapper her arm around his, surprising him since he did not offer it this time. He spent the rest of the walk back to his tower trying to mask his joy at her attentions.

#

Sofia was practically walking on air. Everyone had been so gorgeous. The dress Cedric had enchanted for the princess had been incredible, and his magic act was amusing. She remembered the looks she received, standing up there with him like she had. Sofia knew that every servant would be practically vibrating with chatter by morning, and she didn't care. After all it was true, she _did_ have feelings for Cedric. Even if he only seemed willing to indulge her in friendship. Though she wasn't trying to use him to gain any sort of prestige, the idea of that made her laugh.

She sighed happily and leaned her head against his arm as he unlocked the door to his workshop. She felt him stiffen so she released him and skipped into his tower humming happily.

"Wasn't that wonderful?" she asked, but he merely nodded. "If only we could have gone as guests, and danced. Not that I ever learned how to dance, but it would be a lot of fun to try." She laughed and tried not to ramble. Being around him ever since she realized how she felt had become pleasantly nerve-wracking.

"You don't know how to dance?" he asked, removing his robe and hanging it on a peg in the wall.

"No," she said. She looked down at her dress, it seemed a shame to wear it for such a short time. Then Cedric took one of her hands and placed his other on her waist. She gasped, unsure of what was happening until he began to lead her in a simple waltz. She giggled and placed her free hand on his shoulder, and tried not to step on his feet. There wasn't any music, but she didn't mind.

Once she got the hang of the moves he picked up the pace. She kept glancing at her feet, then back at him. He would grin, but then look away.

"You dance really well," she breathed. She was starting to notice the details of his face, and how soft his hair looked. Even the peculiar white bangs.

"My mother taught me," he said quietly. "Though I haven't practiced in a long time." He twirled her easily and she was amazed at how graceful he was. Normally he could be quite clumsy. He spun her again and when she returned to his arms she tripped just enough to crash against him. He caught her easily, and their eyes met. Sofia felt like her heart had either jumped into her throat or fallen right out of her chest. She wet her lips and felt impelled to move closer. Cedric seemed trapped by whatever was pulling them together as well, and he lowered his face to meet hers. Before she could stop herself her lips met his.

The kiss was soft and sweet, and somewhat unexpected. Sofia closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. One of Cedric's hands trailed down her spine to rest on the small of her back, the other gently caressed her cheek and then her throat.

When she pulled away, she felt blissful. Cedric took a couple of steps back, and absently touched his mouth before forcing his hands to his side.

"I'm sorry about that, I don't know what came over me," he said without looking at her.

"Don't apologize." Sofia cleared the distance and touched his chin tenderly, encouraging him to look at her. "I enjoyed that very much."

"You did?" he asked.

She nodded, of course she did. "I really like you, Cedric." She bit her lip, despite the kiss she felt nervous admitting her feelings.

"I've grown very fond of you, Sofia." He looked at her, saying her name softly. It gave her chills. "I shouldn't have, but I did."

"Is it because I'm a lowly librarian?" she said, and wrapped her arms around him in an intimate embrace. He placed his hands on her waist and shook his head.

"No, I don't care about that."

"Good," she leaned up on her toes and kissed him again.

He stopped the kiss to chuckle, "You're distracting me, again."

#

Cedric was reluctant to let her leave his arms and go to her room for the night, but once she was out of sight reality edged its way back in. He retired to his own room for the night, and then found himself staring at his set up for the dark spell. The components were all laid out, and the forbidden text was open to the page, the translation resting within reach.

Could he really go through with it, and to what end? He wanted power, but did he want it like this? If Sofia found out what he was up to, she would not approve. He knew her enough now to know that much. With a heavy sigh, he sat down on the bed. Part of him wanted to close the book, put away the ingredients, and give up on the whole endeavor. But, another part of him thought of how people in the kingdom treated him, how they always assumed he would screw up, how they always rolled their eyes or even openly mocked him. He was stuck in his father's shadow, and if he wanted to surpass Goodwin the Great he would need to do something drastic.

He reached for the first ingredient, and pushed away his doubts. He wanted to prove to everyone that he wasn't weak, and force them to respect him. This was the way to accomplish that. Maybe he could find a way to make her understand.

#

When Sofia woke up, she peaked out of her door. All was quiet, so she assumed Cedric was still asleep. She dressed quickly and scribbled a note for him telling him that she was going to the library, and he was free to work on his translations there if he liked. She hoped he would come whenever he woke up, but she was also glad she could leave without seeing him as well. The night before had been full of wonderful things, and part of her worried that she had imagined all of it.

What would he say when he saw her again? Would he apologize and claim it was a mistake, or perhaps scoop her into his arms and tell her he was hers. He had done almost as much the night before. She felt her face heat up at the thought of it, and tried to stop herself from grinning. She had to look like a complete fool walking through the castle, giggling to herself and blushing madly.

Everything was fine until she saw the doors to the library. A single guard stood watch, as Baileywick had promised, but it didn't make her feel any better. She offered him a weak smile, and reached out for the handle, and her hand froze. The joy and giddiness evaporated and her heart began to race for a different reason. Despite what the castle steward had said she expected to see everything left in the same state she had seen it in on that horrible morning. Most of all she feared the blood red warning.

She grasped the handle, her hands shaking, and opened the door. Everything was clean and tidy. The books had been put away, though there was a pile of the damaged ones on the circulation desk. The walls had been scrubbed back to their original state, no threats remained. She took a few small steps, glancing around and trying to determine why she couldn't shake her fear.

"It's ok, Sofia," she whispered to herself. She looked through the damaged books first, and made notes of the titles. Part of her expected some horrific coded message, but luckily there was none. King Roland would likely want her to have them replaced or repaired so she went through them and set them in separate piles. Then she gathered the books for her displays and started setting them up. Her whole body felt tense, and she couldn't even glance back at what had been her room.

She was very relieved that they didn't seem to have a problem with her continuing to spend her nights in Cedric's tower. She felt safer there, and here she doubted she would get any sleep at all.

The morning passed by quickly, and still no Cedric. Her heart sank, she had really hoped he would stop by. She would see him tonight, but what if his absence meant he had changed his mind about what he had said last night?

Eventually she couldn't put it off anymore, and left to get lunch. She didn't plan to eat at the servant's dining hall, but perhaps she could take her lunch to the gardens and sit there. She wasn't even sure she wanted to see Meg at this point. The maid had always made a point to wave and smile when they saw each other, which was rarely, but Sofia could feel a bundle of questions in her friend that she wasn't prepared to answer. The rumor's had to be getting quite scandalous by now.

She went to the kitchens, retrieved a packed lunch, and left. There were plenty of eyes on her, but they did seem less hostile, so that had to count for something. She made her way outside and chose a nice secluded area in the garden. The breeze was nice on such a warm day, and she was glad that she had decided to eat outside.

As she sat there and ate she considered her original plans. She had only wanted to work in the library long enough so that she could travel. However, she hadn't expected her new job to be so… well it wasn't unpleasant. When people weren't scowling at her because of her disreputable behavior and evil sorcerers weren't trying to threaten or kill her…

She put her head in her hands and sighed. Who was she kidding? She was already starting to long for the quiet life she had possessed back at the village. Cedric, though, was another matter entirely. She smiled just thinking about him, and the unhappy thoughts were chased away. If it wasn't for him she may have already given her notice and sought out something more stable. Despite the danger, she felt safe with him. It didn't hurt that he was a skilled sorcerer.

"Hello," a voice behind her made her jump. She turned around to see it was Prince James. She put a hand to her heart, and tried to will it to slow down. She scrambled to her feet to give him an awkward curtsy.

"Good afternoon, Prince James," she said. She hadn't met him yet, but everyone recognized the members of the royal family.

"Why are you eating out here all by yourself?" he asked. He held a leash which was attached to a very friendly looking old dog. About as friendly looking as the Prince he was dragging around.

"Oh, uh, I just wanted some time alone. I guess," her laughter sounded clumsy, but he smiled anyway.

"I can see the appeal of that," he said, nodding. The dog was pulling on the leash, desperate to keep moving so Prince James waved at her and left. She curtsied, but he was gone before noticing. She wondered if he knew who she was, since she hadn't had the chance to introduce herself.

When she finished eating she left to go back to the library. She still felt the sense of dread as she went in, but she fought it and won.

It was made easier by the man sitting behind the circulation desk, eyeing the damaged books. Cedric had come, though he hadn't bothered to bring any of the translation material with him.

#

Cedric looked up and saw Sofia standing there, smiling at him. He shook his head, what could she possibly see in him? He glanced down at the vial and potted plant he had brought with him. After a lot of debate he had decided to show her what he had done, he still didn't even know if it would work.

"I was worried that you weren't going to come," Sofia said.

"You might regret that I did," he said, placing the poison and plant up where she could see it. "I picked a spell from the book to try."

"The forbidden text," she rushed forward, brow wrinkled. She grabbed his hand, and he let her.

"Yes,"

"Why?" she was looking up at him, and he regretted everything. He couldn't tell her the truth now.

"I wanted to see if it would work. I thought it would help us see what we're up against," he said instead. He had thought of the fib earlier, but had planned to tell her the truth. Maybe make her understand why it was so important to him, but not with her looking at him like that.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." She looked at the vial, still frowning. "So? Does it work?"

"I haven't tried it yet, would you like to watch?" he lifted the vial, feeling foolish. She couldn't possibly _want_ to watch, he had just wanted to be honest with her. Failing at it, he thought bitterly.

"What does it do?" she asked.

"It's meant to wipe out crops on a large scale, but I believe that one drop should be enough to kill this potted plant, but not enough to spread out and do any real damage."

"Kill?" she said. "What about the ingredients? You said-"

"Nothing all that bad went into this, mostly poisons and a few animal components…" he trailed off, hoping she didn't want him to elaborate. She shook her head gently, and chewed on her lower lip.

"Ok," she nodded. "You didn't want to be alone when you tried this, did you?" she asked, catching him off guard. What she assumed wasn't true, but he didn't know what to say so he shrugged, and removed the cap from the vial.

Very carefully he allowed one single drop to fall onto the soil. For a few moments nothing happened. Sofia stood close to him and stared at the plant while he held his breath and waited. Despite the gravity of what he was trying to accomplish he found himself very aware of how close she was standing to him.

Then there was a subtle sizzling as the soil started to dry out and turn gray. The plant began to twitch before shriveling down to a husk. The clay pot cracked, and the changed soil spilled out all over the counter and floor. For one horrible moment Cedric thought the destruction would continue spreading, but after destroying the pot it was done.

**I toned down the 'M' rated stuff to keep it 't'... lol for now at least. It seemed too soon for anything too crazy to happen anyway. Hope you liked this chapter! Sorry the updates have been slowing down but I'm getting swept up in other projects :)**

**Also yay! James Cameo! **


	8. Chapter 8

8.

"It worked," Sofia gasped. She ran to get her broom and started sweeping the mess up. Cedric stood there, staring at what he had done, then at the vial still in his hand. There was a look of awe in his eyes, and it left her unsettled. Black magic only caused destruction, and on a massive scale. There was nothing to admire about it, in her opinion.

Cedric was a sorcerer, she reminded herself, his whole life revolved around magic. So, she felt like she shouldn't judge him for it, but it still made her uneasy.

"Cedric," she said, kneeling down to brush the pile of dirt into her brush pan.

"It worked," he said, echoing her earlier statement.

"Yes, I know." She dumped the ashy soil into the garbage, and swept what was on the counter into her pan.

"Do you know what this means?" he grabbed her by her arms, and she dropped the pan and broom. He looked so excited she couldn't help but smile uneasily in return.

"That you've killed a plant?" she asked, trying to ignore the sick feeling in her gut.

"It means that all of those spells work, it means that I can cast any one of them from that book, maybe more." He kissed her, quickly, and when he pulled away she frowned.

"But you won't?" she searched his eyes, and saw the bright happiness fade a bit.

"I won't?" he asked, blinking a few times as if coming out of a daze. "No, no. I won't" he said it slowly, so she reached up and touched his cheek.

"Cedric, those spells are dark. Their only purpose is destruction and the components are," she sighed, "Well I don't know. You are the one who told me all this, remember? You said that it was dangerous. You can't really want to keep practicing that stuff, do you?" she asked. She desperately hoped he would say no.

He shook his head and pulled away, "no, you're right. It was just so exciting to see that it had worked," he looked away from her.

"Of course it worked, you're an amazing sorcerer," she said. He seemed to perk up at that.

"Do you really think so?" he asked. He waved his wand and the rest of the mess he had made was gone. He put a cork into the vial and tucked it back into his robe.

"Yes, I do." Sofia propped her broom up against the counter. She looked up at the walls that had once held the blood red threat. She shuddered. "I think that black magic does something to people, and I don't want it happening to you. Promise me that you won't get involved in that stuff."

"Why does it matter to you?" he asked curtly. He finally looked at her, and she tried to mask the hurt in her eyes.

"Because _you_ matter to me," she poked him in the chest, hoping to lighten the mood. "Come on, isn't that obvious by now?" She turned and set aside the dust pan.

She looked around at the library, there really wasn't anything left to do, she glanced back at Cedric, and he was still looking at her.

"I promise," he said.

"Promise?" she had almost forgotten what she had asked earlier, "oh! Good!" she took his hands and beamed up at him.

"Does that make you happy?" he asked her, a hesitant smile tugging at his mouth.

"Yes, of course it does." She saw some doubt in his eyes, so she threw her arms around him in an embrace. "Cedric, you worry too much." He held her tightly, and didn't seem willing to release her. He slid a hand through her hair, pulling it away from her ear so he could kiss just below it. Sofia felt heat rush to her face and her grip on him tightened.

Then a throat cleared behind them, and the two separated at an impressive speed. She turned around to see Baileywick standing in the doorway, and she quickly averted her eyes.

"Miss Sofia," he said in greeting. "Cedric."

"Hey, um what can I help you with, Baileywick?" she said, hoping she wasn't as red as a tomato. She hazarded a glance at the sorcerer, who was looking down at his feet.

"I wanted to see how the library was coming along, would you be able to open it soon?" he asked, seeming perfectly content to spare the couple the embarrassment of pointing out their inappropriate conduct.

"Yes, it is. I was planning to find you and tell you…" she trailed off, not wanting to admit to what had disrupted her.

"I'm happy to hear it. Perhaps you could meet me and the king here tomorrow morning? King Roland wishes to have an event to celebrate the opening, he hopes it will supersede the memory of what happened here." He pushed his glasses up his nose and grinned, "with the intruder, I mean."

"Yes, of course." Sofia nodded fiercely, hoping the earth would open up and swallow her whole. The steward turned to go, and she breathed a sigh of relief. However, it was cut off when he stopped and turned back.

"Oh, and Cedric?"

"Y-yes, Baileywick?" Cedric stuttered, Sofia put her hand to her mouth to stifle an uneasy giggle.

"You may as well be here too. The king will likely wish for you to perform a magic act at the opening." With that he finally left. And Sofia could breathe.

#

Cedric cursed Baileywick, and the king while he was at it. He felt his shoulders droop, and looked at Sofia. He thought about taking her in his arms again, but thought better of it. Not now, at least. Not here.

"That was embarrassing," she said, her cheeks still burning.

"Don't worry about it," Cedric said, admiring how flushed she looked. "It's getting late, should we head back to the tower?" he asked, and watched her blush deepen even further.

"Um, sure. W-would you like me to grab dinner?" she asked, and he got an idea.

"No, come with me." He put his arm around her and led her out of the library. As they walked he noticed more than a few open stares directed at them, and he sneered at the unwanted attention. He supposed he did look somewhat foolish with a girl as young and beautiful as Sofia, but that was no reason for the servants to look at him like that.

He led her outside and out to the lake. The sun was setting, and they would have privacy there. The air was still warm, but comfortably so. The sky was clouded though, and he wondered if it would rain soon, but shrugged it off. Cedric retrieved his wand and conjured a simple meal straight from the kitchens. He had done it many times when he had been too busy to leave the tower.

"It's beautiful out here," she said. She pointed at some swans on the lake, and he sat down on the grass. He regretted not planning better, worried she might not want to sit directly on the ground, but she did. Still, a blanket would have been nice.

"It is, isn't it?" he said, watching her closely. She was looking out at the lake, but when she looked over at him she blushed again. He was starting to like the rosy tint to her skin.

"Thanks for bringing me out here," she said. She poked at the loaf of bread and assortments of meats he had provided. "I'm not really hungry," she admitted.

"I'm not either," he leaned closer and brushed an eyelash off of her cheek.

"Cedric," she said quietly.

"Hm?" He was debating whether this picnic had been a terrible or wonderful idea.

"Would you say, we are, well, a couple?" she said, wincing. His throat went dry, a couple? She wanted to know if they were a couple. He started to smile, but then panic hit his brain. Were they? If they were what did that mean, exactly? He looked away and cleared his throat.

"Would you?" he finally managed, not knowing a better way to articulate it. She arched an eyebrow at him, but then a slow smile enveloped her face.

"Yes," she said.

"Then, so do I." he answered firmly, feeling some of his earlier bravado returning. He leaned closer to her just as a flash of lightning lit the rapidly darkening sky. They both jumped, and Sofia reached for him when the accompanying thunder boomed. She looked up at him, humor in her eyes, and he couldn't stop himself. He kissed her as rain began to fall around them.

#

She woke up the next morning in Cedric's bed. Their limbs were nicely tangled, and she pressed back into his warmth as he continued to snore softly. Then realizing where she was she leaned up and looked around, confused for a moment in her drowsy condition.

She was naked in Cedric's bed, and they had, oh. She touched her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. Last night had been a blur of passion, stormy weather, and she was pretty sure her damp clothing was still upstairs on the floor of his workshop. The memories made her blush and she happily lied back down next to him. In his sleep he moved an arm around her and she snuggled against him. She would have happily gone back to sleep, but the meeting with the king snapped into her mind. She sat up roughly, and cursed. Was she late? She had no idea what the time was. Cedric had been forced awake by her jerking and she snatched a blanket to cover herself in overdue modesty.

"Wha?" he muttered, looking up at her with heavy-lidded eyes.

"We're supposed to meet the king, do you think we overslept?" she whispered, even though there was no need to. At the mention of the king he sat up and looked very much awake.

"Hopefully not," he reached for some clothes and she took that as her cue to leave and get dressed herself. She hurried to her own room, blanket trailing behind her. She tugged the nearest dress on and slipped into a spare (and dry) pair of shoes, then emerged from her room in time to see Cedric do the same. He was running a hand through his hair, and pointed to a mirror for her to do the same. When she saw the state of her hair, over-curled from the rain and activities of the night before she squeaked. She ran into her room and tied it up into a sloppy, but manageable pony tail.

"Are you ready?" she asked him, he turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes," he sighed heavily, and moved towards the door. She knew how he dreaded meeting with the king. Especially if a party of some kind was involved. The king always requested Cedric preform magic, and Cedric hated doing it.

She took his hand and they walked together down to the library. King Roland and Baileywick were already there. She felt Cedric loosen his grip on her hand, so she released him. She knew how nervous he was around the King. Cedric bowed and she curtsied.

"Your Majesty," she said.

"Good morning Miss Sofia," King Roland said. "I see you've made a friend, Cedric. Or…?" Sofia glanced at the sorcerer, who looked pale.

Cedric cleared his throat, "Mm, yes. We uh," he put his arm around her shoulder, "are courting?" he said it as if it was a question, and King Roland nodded.

"Good to hear," King Roland said, perhaps hoping it would brighten the grumpy sorcerer's demeanor. "Now, about the library. I was hoping to do something big, invite the villagers and serve refreshments. Would you have any suggestions, Sofia?" he asked her.

Sofia thought for a moment, loving the way Cedric kept his arm around her, "we could have coloring for the kids, and I could read a children's book out loud."

"Great idea, and Cedric, you can put on a magic show! The villager will love that!" King Roland placed a hand on the sorcerer's shoulder. "Baileywick, can you take care of the rest?"

"Yes, sire. Of course," Baileywick said, nodding.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a long to-do list I need to tackle." King Roland took his leave.

"We'll arrange the event for tomorrow afternoon. Expect people to be in and out of here until then." Baileywick turned and considered the library, "we'll put up a large banner, and balloons."

"Can I do anything?" Sofia asked.

"Pick out some books for the children, and you can help decorate once I have stuff sent out here?" He smiled at Cedric, "Perhaps you'd like to stick around to help?"

"Maybe I will," Cedric sniffed.

"I'd like that," Sofia said, pretending to be oblivious to their subtext. She left and headed towards the children's section.

#

Cedric spent the rest of the day in the library with her. Servants brought decorations, and they put them up. Sofia tried to make a comfortable area where the children could sit and listen to a story, but never seemed satisfied with her arrangement. Meg stopped by, and Sofia was so happy to see her. She told her all about the event and Cedric, and Meg told her about a cook who she was starting to fancy. They giggled like much younger girls, and Meg promised to come to the library tomorrow for the event. Cedric awkwardly busied himself while they spoke.

After a long day of preparation they retired back to the tower. Sofia felt exhausted, but also content. She hadn't been nervous in the library at all that day. It could have been thanks to Cedric's presence, but she hoped it was all behind her now. When they reached the tower Cedric showed her the magic act, and seemed pleased when she told him how great it was.

They sat together in the common area between their two rooms, and when Sofia yawned she told him goodnight. She leaned over and kissed him, and then found that she wasn't as tired as she thought she was.

**Sorry it took so long to upload this, I kept struggling with the scene in the rain. I ended up omitting it all together... bleh. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! This one was a little fluffy, but I'm afraid they won't continue that way :-/**

**I promise I'll finish it though! so don't worry about that! just forgive my slow updates (please?) lol**


	9. Chapter 9

9.

Cedric woke up and was torn between a groan of annoyance and a smile. The event at the library would be both bothersome, and pleasant. All thanks to the librarian, _his_ librarian he corrected. He wrapped his arms around her, overjoyed that she had slept next to him again. He considered purchasing a slightly larger bed, though he did like the intimacy the smaller one required.

He didn't want to wake her, but knew she would be worried about being late. She really seemed to look forward to the event, and after observing her earlier anxiousness slowly start to melt away he was happy for her. He had noticed how tense she had been in the library at first, after the incident. He hadn't worked on the translations in what seemed like a long time, and the dark book had been far out of his mind until he caught sight of it on his dresser.

Tearing his eyes away from it and hearing the echo of his promise to Sofia he gently brushed some of her wild hair out of her face. It took some coaxing but she finally opened her eyes smiling happily.

"Good morning," she said slowly.

"It is," he waited eagerly.

"Oh!" she jumped out of bed and Cedric covered his mouth to mask his amusement. He liked how the oncoming day always seemed to sneak up on her every morning. "Don't just lie there! Come on, the event is this afternoon." She was bursting with an unseemly amount of energy. Cedric nodded, and sat up.

"Hand me those, will you?" he asked, pointing at a pair of pants.

"Ok," she said, tossing them at him and hitting him in the face. He scowled at her, but she was laughing at him and rushing out the door so she could get dressed. He got dressed and met her at the stairs. She grabbed his hand and led him, a little too quickly for his liking, out of his tower.

They reached the library, which was already in a frenzy. The king was not there, but just about everyone else was. Baileywick gave orders and walked around with a list in his hand. Cedric found himself somewhat uncertain as to what he should do. The castle steward sent Sofia over to help with the additions to the reading corner she had set up for the village children, and everyone else was too busy to tell him what to do. He eventually sat down and watched Sofia flit around happily, and absently twirled his wand with one hand.

Eventually villagers began to come in droves, and the royal twins made a grand appearance. Sofia sat down to entertain the children, until it was Cedric's turn of course, and the king finally arrived and stood at the center of the lively library. He began making some speech, which Cedric happily ignored, when the sound of shattered glass caused everyone to pause.

Cedric, along with everyone else, turned to see a black ghost-like creature burst through the window and fly around the room in a menacing style. Cedric stood, wand at the ready. The king shouted for guards. Everyone was yelling, shouting, screaming.

No matter what spell he shot at the thing, it seemed to bounce off of it. It had the beak and head of a Raven, the wings of a bat, the body of a snake, and the numerous eyes of a spider. He had never seen anything like it.

The monster dipped down among the frantic crowd, the narrow doors and panic made it hard for the mass of people to exit and many simply huddled under furniture and behind shelves. The thing dipped down again, he tried another spell but there was no effect. Claws grew out of its slithering body and it reached down into the cluster of children, which was guarded by Sofia. She swung her arms at it, trying to keep it from the kids, but it wasn't after them. The bird-like talons dug into her shoulders and he shot every spell he could think of at it, but his thoughts started to jumble and the words were coming out wrong. Even if he said the spells right, however, they did nothing to the beast.

Without knowing what else to do he chased after it as it lifted her into the air and headed back towards the broken window. Then she was gone. He stood, arm stretched out, as a scroll materialized into his open hand. He staggered backwards, staring down at the paper, his mind desperately trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. Sofia had been taken, and now he was holding what had to be some kind of message.

"What does it say?" the King demanded. He had a hand on Cedric's shoulder, and his voice was stern. Normally this would make Cedric stutter with nervousness, but he was still in shock so he simply unrolled the parchment. As he did red lettering appeared.

_We know you have the book_

_And we have an idea of how to get it back_

_Bring it to the tall tower in the woods on the full moon_

_Do not come before, or after_

_And do not come accompanied_

_Or the librarian dies_

"I expect they mean me," Cedric muttered. The full moon was in three days, it would take him that long to travel to the tall tower by foot. He knew of the tower, it was an abandoned look-out station from long ago. It sat in the center of the forest.

"We can't give them the book," the king said, but Cedric crumpled the scroll and tossed it against the nearest wall.

"I don't intend to, but I have to go." Cedric replied, turning to leave. No one stopped him, or if they tried he didn't notice. He couldn't hear much over the pounding in his head. He had retrieved the book, travelling gear and rations, and was gone within the hour.

#

Sofia woke up somewhere dark and cold. She had either passed out from fear, or the pain of having the beast rip into her shoulders as it whisked her out of the castle. She had struggled, and it had made the wounds worse. She touched them gingerly, the puncture marks looked quite angry, but would probably heal. Now she only had to worry about infection, among many other things she noted darkly. She looked around the room, a small lantern hung well out of reach was the only light source. There was a thin window, but it was too dark out. She could hear the wind and went to peer out. She saw the tops of trees and guessed that she was somewhere up high. The window was too narrow to provide much of a view, though. The walls, floor and ceiling were made completely of stone. There were no rugs or tapestries to warm or soften the effect. There was a single door, and she tried it of course, but it was locked. The wood was old, and the hinges creaked so she began to beat on it.

After the pain in her shoulders was joined by pain in her fists she gave up. The urge to cry tugged at her but she pushed it aside and angrily paced the room instead. She focused on the fury to keep herself from falling apart. How dare they take her, she thought.

"I still don't have the book, you idiots!" she screamed at the door. The act made her feel a little bit better so she continued to yell quite a few very un-lady like things at the door, and whoever might be listening.

So she had been taken by the cult, but why? She didn't have the book, Cedric did. Then her thoughts turned to him and how desperately he had tried to fight the thing that had taken her. None of his magic had worked. She sat down, feeling suddenly very tired. The thought of Cedric was what did her in, she buried her face in her hands and cried softly. She was as quiet as she could manage to prevent whoever might have overheard her earlier ranting from hearing her tearfully break down.

#

Sofia woke again when the door to her uncomfortable cell was opened. The sun was up again so the room was much better lit this time around, and she saw a hooded figure in the doorway. She jumped to her feet and rushed him, determined to do any damage she could, but was flung back against the wall easily. She struggled to move, but couldn't. She was stuck in place, and watched two hooded figures bring in a tray of bread with stew, an old mattress, and chamber pot. She sneered at them and insulted them in every way she knew how but they didn't even look at her.

When the door closed and she was alone whatever spell had been cast against her broke and she staggered forward. Her stomach grumbled, but she couldn't bring herself to eat the offered food. Would it be poisoned? Or enchanted? Worried she would eventually give in she tossed it all out the slender window.

They were holding her ransom for the book then, but would the king give them it in return for a humble librarian? Maybe not, but the king didn't technically have the book, Cedric did. She studied the mattress, and upon deciding it looked clean enough she sat on it. It was lumpy and uncomfortable, but it was better than spending another night on the cold dirty stone floor. Cedric would try to come for her, but hopefully he wouldn't give them the book. Despite her strong desire to be freed of this place she knew her life wasn't worth giving the cult more power. Not with what they were already capable of.

Sofia tried to come up with a plan, and eventually settled on hiding behind the door and waiting. Hopefully when one of the hooded sorcerer's came in she could take them by surprise. She had no clue what to do after liberated of the room, but she would just have to improvise.

#

Sofia stood until her legs shook, she bit down hard on her lip to block out the growing pain in her shoulders. Finally the door opened, and she heard the swishing of fabric against the stones. Another hooded figure, wand held out, the other held another tray of more bread and stew. She sucked in a breath and grabbed for his wand. Stunned he fell back a step, but her grip on his wand was tighter than his. She then kicked him (or her, for who knew what was under that hood) as hard as she could in the most sensitive part she could think of. He (judging by his tone) grabbed between his legs and fell over grunting and wheezing. She jumped over him and found herself in an empty circular hallway. Instead of an opposite wall though there was a balcony. She looked over the edge to see a large group of the hooded cultists. They were sitting around a fire, talking amongst themselves in hushed voices.

She cursed and broke the wand she held in half, she couldn't use it so there was no point in keeping it intact to be used against her. She stuck close to the wall and opened the next door she came to. Just an empty room, no way out. She eventually had run out of hall, as it ended it a staircase that travelled directly down into the center of the room. How would she get out?

She looked back at the black-clad figure, who was struggling to get onto his knees. She ran at him, and then kicked him as hard as she could in the head. She winced as the pain sparked in her foot, but then the figure went limp. She dragged him back into the room and stripped his cloak off. She didn't recognize his face, and rolled him unceremoniously into the puddle of spilled stew. She draped the black robe over herself and grimaced at how loosely it hung on her short frame. It would have to do though.

When she reemerged from the room, this time in her disguise, she noticed the noise had grown. She made her way slowly down the steps, feeling cold and terrified. Her hands were shaking, but hidden within the excess of fabric.

As she got closer she could hear them arguing about something, no someone. They were discussing whether or not someone was worthy to join them. If she had been braver she may have rolled her eyes, but instead she focused on the open doorway. She could see trees just beyond it. There was no door, likely it had rotted away or been broken when the cultists took up their residence here.

One step. Two more. She could taste the fresh air, and see the setting sun dip behind the tree tops. Another step, and a hand gripped her shoulder. She whirled around, clumsy in the ill-fitted robes, and kicked with all her strength, hitting the hooded figure in the shin. He gasped and jumped back.

"Wha-?" everyone was looking at her now. Fight or flight kicked in and she ran. The long robes tripped her up, but she gathered them as she fled. Unfortunately she didn't get far. Suddenly the air was sucked out of her lungs and she tumbled forward. She rolled, gasping for oxygen, but was unable to breathe. She grabbed her throat, but there was no physical cause for her suffocation. It was magic. She blinked a few times, her vision growing cloudy. The cultists were looking down at her now, faces hidden.

**AHHH sorry for the wait! but here it is, hope you liked it! My life is just crazy at the moment and I don't get a lot of time to write. Sorry if this is a little raw editing wise, if you notice something really bad point it out and i'll fix it ^^ otherwise just forgive me lol. **

**Did anyone see the library chaos coming? did I give it away in my earlier A/N's? lol I hope not but I probably did. I'm rambling now, sorry. review if you like, I love hearing your thoughts and opinions :) **

**I will try to get ch 10 out sometime this weekend if things don't blow up again.**


	10. Chapter 10

10.

Cedric had refused a carriage, but now he was regretting the decision. But really, it was a good thing. He would never have been able to wait outside the tower for the appointed time. No, walking was better. The cult had planned for it that way. The question was, how did they know about him and Sofia? What _did_ they know? Why they wanted him to come alone was obvious, one sorcerer against a cult of black magic practitioners was hardly a fair fight. He gingerly touched his arm where a scar could always remind him of that.

He couldn't fight the questions, but he couldn't answer them either. He kept moving until he grew so tired he had to sleep, and then he would only doze in a simple sleeping bag under the stars. He forced himself to eat, but everything tasted like sand.

Guilt was gnawing at him. He had brought the book, but he didn't want to give it up, not even for her. Despite his earlier promise he wanted the book for himself, which made him sick. He had been able to fool himself before, but that was while the text was in his possession. But, what he wanted didn't matter. He would hand over the book and save his librarian, there were no other choices.

#

Two nights passed, and he knew the next night was the full moon. He could see the tower in the distance. A tall dilapidated stone structure with hardly a roof left stuck out awkwardly among the trees. Its outer walls draped with weeds and ivy. He was so close. He stopped and nibbled at the hard loaf of bread he had brought along with him. The book was a heavy weight in his small pack, and he removed it. The text was open before he could think twice and he began to page through it. Without his translation materials there wasn't much he could learn from it, but he was able to pick out a few things from what he knew and with contextual clues.

There were a few spells that caught his eye and he felt anxious about never knowing what exactly they were. The temptation to stop and try to work some of them out shocked him, he had to bring the text to trade for Sofia. And he _would_ trade it for her if it came down to that, wouldn't he? He shook his head, and continued walking. His legs were sore, his feet ached, and his robe was quite tattered.

He would trade it for her. He repeated the thought until he fully believed it. Until he couldn't remember what had even caused the doubt to begin with. But then he remembered the way the king had looked at him, spoken to him after the monster had fled. Why hadn't he been able to stop it? The blame had escaped him then, but now he felt it fully without distraction. No one in that room thought he was capable of protecting the kingdom, and maybe that was why he spent all his time preforming magic shows for children.

Cedric sneered then, and found that he was almost able to hear the roar of criticism that had been in their thoughts. Of course, he knew that the spells he had attempted hadn't worked properly because he was still so unfamiliar with dark magic. It was just like that burn on his arm, he had spent so long trying to heal it when all along he had only needed a counter-curse. In truth he was fortunate that Sofia had thought to suggest it.

The sun was falling, he would arrive at the tower in the morning if he stopped to camp now. He clenched his jaw and tried to clear his mind. He needed a plan. He needed a way to save Sofia _and_ keep the book for himself.

#

The door opened, and Sofia lifted her head to view her captors. They had decided not to take any further precautions and had shackled her wrists together. The chains connecting her wrists were then fixed to the wall of her cell that was furthest from the door.

They stopped bringing her food, and she felt weak with hunger. But they continued to bring her water, and one of the pair of hooded figures held a cup meant for her. She watched them set it just within her reach, but instead of leaving her they stood and watched. She glared back at them. Eventually she gave in and reached for water. It smelled clean and looked clean as far as she could tell, but her throat was so dry it hardly mattered. She scooped it up and took an experimental sip. They continued to watch her, so she downed the rest of the glass and threw it at them. They flinched, but still just stood there.

"If you're planning to free me, go right ahead," she snapped.

They didn't speak, but one moved forward. She braced herself, if they were foolish enough to come closer she could try to gain some kind of upper-hand. Even if she was weak with hunger and exhaustion, she would try.

"Wait," a feminine voice said, it came from the cultist still at the door. She muttered some words and then Sofia found herself frozen again. She watched with growing rage as the other cultist was able to unlock her restraints from the wall and then pick her up and carry her out the door. Her wrists were still bound, but if she hadn't been magically frozen she could have fought them off. Probably. She would have tried anyway. The sun had started to stream in through the windows, cracks and holes. This meant it was already morning. Were they plotting to sacrifice her to some crazy god or something? Why were they moving her? She doubted it was to free her as she had sarcastically suggested.

She eventually found herself bound to another set of chains in the main room, directly across from the door. The chains allowed her to walk a few steps from the wall, but that was about it.

The cultists, there were almost a dozen of them, were pacing about and whispering amongst themselves. Something was happening, and whatever it was it couldn't be good. She watched them prepare symbols on the walls and floor. They used chalk, blood, and paint. It made her shiver, but she tried to hide it. Sofia couldn't endure the thought that they would know how it disturbed her. It would be like giving them what they wanted, and that was the last thing she would do willingly.

She looked down at the floor, and bit her lip. They ignored her, and she wasn't sure why they had brought her down here to begin with. Then she heard a familiar voice and it all made sense. Cedric stood in the doorway. Her heart soared. For the first time in days she smiled. Despite what it meant for him to be here, she was overjoyed.

"I assume you were expecting me?" he said stiffly. He briefly glanced at her, but then looked away. She must look like a total mess, and wanted to laugh at herself for suddenly feeling so vain.

"Yes," they said, almost in unison. The cultists had all stopped what they were doing to face the sorcerer.

"I won't give you the book," he said harshly. He still avoided her eyes, and she felt both joy and sorrow at his proclamation. She reminded herself that she didn't want him to give it to them, it was too much power.

"Don't be so impetuous, you haven't even heard what we have to say." One of the cultists had spoken, the figure stepped forward. The voice sounded feminine, but unfamiliar. She had an unusual accent.

"Why should I listen to anything you people have to say?" he snapped. Sofia felt a sense of dread sink into the pit of her stomach.

"Because, we know all about you. The _bumbling sorcerer_ who is stuck living in his father's grand shadow. You can't tell us that the opportunity to stand out against such disrespect doesn't appeal to you?"

Sofia watched Cedric's features grow hard. She knew how much those things bothered him, but he couldn't possibly be tempted by anything they offered him. She had expected them only to demand the book back, but now they seemed to want more. She remembered hearing the cultists argue before, and it all made sense. They were planning to offer him a place among them.

"I can't accept such an outrageous offer!" Cedric said. She felt herself relax, but she couldn't help but catch the _can't_ as opposed to _wont._ His face was quite pale, but he stood quite bravely.

"You are a perfect candidate for our order, aren't you curious about what we do? About what we _can_ do?" the feminine voice continued to speak for all of them. The other cultists around her stayed still and quiet.

"Of course I'm curious," he admitted, "but I won't let you hurt Sofia."

Sofia found herself shaking her head, but he still wouldn't look at her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out and begging him to leave. He was curious, he had always been curious. Still, she couldn't just stand there and let him be seduced by the cult.

"We will happily let the librarian go, but then you should stay. We can show you the other six texts, we have them. We've been collecting them for years."

"The other texts?" Cedric echoed. His face relaxed somewhat then, and he glanced off as if thinking.

"Don't listen to-" Sofia started to shout, but another spell was cast and her mouth fell silent. She could move it, but no sound came out. She continued to silently shout at Cedric, hoping he would understand. Don't listen to them. Don't give them the book. And especially, don't join them.

"Yes, we only lack one book, and I believe that is in your possession?" she asked, and he nodded. "Stay with us, Cedric. We can show you the other texts. We can teach you magic beyond your understanding."

"I can't join you…" Cedric hissed, he held up his wand, and in return the other cultists showed their wands. No spells were cast.

"Yes, you can. Cedric, Enchancia doesn't appreciate you. We would appreciate you, we recognize your talent. You tried one of the spells from the book, didn't you?"

Sofia felt helpless, she struggled against the chains and continued to shout silently. She wanted to tell him that she appreciated him, she knew he was talented, she loved him.

And the word sank in and she knew it was true. She hadn't spoken it, or thought it before, but now that she had she knew it was genuine. And she couldn't even tell him. Tears began to form and she blinked them away. Why wouldn't he look at her?

"Well, yes, but-" Cedric took a step back, his shoulders fell slightly.

"And it worked didn't it?" the cultist took a step towards him.

Cedric opened his mouth, but then closed it. He reached into his robe and then pulled out the vial. He looked at it curiously. Sofia watched as a small smile tugged at his lips. She remembered the joy he had shown when the spell had worked. And she remembered how reluctant he had been to promise her to stop. But in the end he had promised her. He couldn't break the promise he had made to her, could he?

"It did," he said slowly.

"Then you belong with us, Cedric. Do you think those spells are easy? Only a few sorcerers can manage even the simplest spell within that text. But you succeeded after only one attempt. Don't you want to force everyone who ever doubted you, whoever laughed at you, to realize just what you were capable of all along?" the cultist asked.

He looked at Sofia then, and she felt the world stop. She told him she loved him, told him that she believed he was a great sorcerer, told him that she knew he could do anything, but the words died in her throat. She moved her lips but nothing came out because of that damn spell. But, he had to know. He had to sense it from her at the very least. She tried to communicate everything with her eyes, and tried to stop trembling. She held her breath, waiting.

He tore his gaze away and looked at the cultist who had been speaking to him. He straightened his posture and took a few steps into the room, one hand clutching his wand and the other the small vial. Finally, he spoke.

"You're right." He said it so easily. "Let her go," he waved a hand at her, but kept his eyes on the cult leader. "And I'll stay." He placed the vial back within his robes and pulled the forbidden text out. "I want to know more."

Sofia's breath caught and suddenly she found herself falling forward to her knees. The chains were gone. She ran to Cedric, and grabbed his arm, looking up into his eyes and hoping the silencing spell was also removed.

"Cedric?" her voice squeaked. So she could speak again. "Don't do this."

He took her hands, and said quietly, "Sofia, go."

"No! I won't leave without you!" She stomped her foot, and decided she would drag him out of here if she had to!

"I'm staying." He looked down at her, frowning.

"Please, Cedric." she reached up and gently touched his cheek. "I love you."

He pulled away and shook his head. She was suddenly surrounded by black smoke, and when it cleared she found herself standing right outside the castle. Alone.

~To be continued...

**Sorry for how rough this is, I feel like I've been writing nothing but crap lately! So i'll be taking a brief break. Not sure If I should continue this here or create a "Librarian 2" or something? Anyway I hope you enjoyed. I would like to see them have a happy ending but I can't seem to get to it! Thank you for all the reviews and follows! :) You guys are great! sorry i've been making you wait and then some of the chapters were bleh.**


	11. Chapter 11

11.

~~One Year Later~~

Sofia had to confess everything to the king, but she left Enchancia before learning what would be done about it. She had taken what little money she had managed to save and had decided that it would be enough. She travelled as far away as she could and picked up odd jobs to fund her new nomadic lifestyle. No matter where she went though, she stayed away from bookstores and anything to do with magic. She had nightmares. She cried. She eventually started to feel a little happier as time passed, but there still seemed to be a pit of coldness at her core.

The first time she heard the news she had been working in a small café in Tangu. She had been holding a tray of food and had let it crash to the ground. Enchancia had a new King, and it was the sorcerer Cedric. Rumors were that he was building an army, and there was a growing fear that soon no kingdom would be safe. She packed her bags and headed home.

#

Sofia walked into the village and frowned at how dreary and almost abandoned it appeared. Her mother had moved back to the kingdom she grew up in when the trouble started, but a lot of people had stayed behind. For them not much had changed, though there was a palpable sense of dread in the air.

It was still early in the afternoon, she stopped at an Inn and requested a room. They seemed baffled by her presence, no one visited the area anymore. They allowed her to stay in one of the nicest rooms at the lowest rate.

She left her pack containing her meager belongings behind and made her way up to the castle. Unlike when King Roland was in charge the gates were closed and guarded. However, there were people going in and out, so she walked up to the guards and requested entry.

"What business do you have here?" one guard asked her. He was a portly man, and she didn't recognize him from her days working in the palace. What could she say?

"I wish to speak to King Cedric," she said simply, reminding herself to add the 'king'. His name was the hardest part to say. It had been a long time since she had spoken it out loud. Both guards looked at her, as if waiting for her to continue, but she could hardly tell them that she planned to put a stop to his plans. That she hoped to talk some sense into him, she felt like the only person who might be able to.

"A lot of people _wish_ to speak to him, but that doesn't mean they get to," the guard replied curtly. The other one nodded his agreement.

"He will want to speak to me, he knows me," she said. She sounded more confident than she felt. In truth she had no idea if he wanted to ever see her again. He had dismissed her so easily a year ago. She pushed away the unpleasant memory.

"Is that so?" the other guard said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes." She crossed her arms and tried to appear poised.

"Well I'll just go ask him then," the first guard said haughtily. "Who shall I say is requesting an audience with him?"

Sofia started to give her name, but found that she couldn't. She swallowed and finally said, "Tell him The Librarian wants to see him."

The guard rolled his eyes again and shot a look to the other one, but left to deliver the message.

#

Cedric paced anxiously in his room, occasionally shooting glances at the ill-fitting crown on his bed. A knock at his door made him jump, and he glared at it. He didn't have to answer it anymore, but he would anyway. Anything to interrupt his current thoughts.

"What do you want?" he demanded. A servant took a few steps back from him.

"A-a guard wanted me to give you a message." The poor boy stuttered, and Cedric felt somewhat guilty. Not too long ago he had been the one nervously twitching under the glare of royalty.

"A message?" not another order from Mamanu. The head of the dark magic order was more than a little demanding. So far he had always done as she wished, but it was getting harder and harder. Being king wasn't what he had hoped it would be, and he was starting to remember just why he had avoided dark magic for so long. He was so lost in thought he didn't hear what the servant had said, he looked down arching an eyebrow.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

The servant cleared his throat and repeated himself. "A woman is at the gates, she wants to speak with you." Cedric frowned, Mamanu wouldn't wait at the gates if she wanted to speak to him in person.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"She d-didn't give a name. She called herself 'the librarian'."

Cedric slammed the door in the boy's face before he could stop himself. His heart began pounding in his chest and he paced in true earnest now. It couldn't be, he thought. No one had seen her in, what, a year? He shook himself slightly. Had he really gone a whole year without so much as seeing her? She had left Enchancia last he heard, so why was she back now. She wanted to speak to him? He rubbed his chest just below his throat, and looked at his crown. He had done horrifying things this past year. He wasn't so sure he could look her in the eyes with the blood that stained his hands. But then, he also wanted nothing else but to see her again. He opened the door in time to catch the servant before he disappeared behind a corner.

"Have them bring her to the throne room," he ordered. He checked his appearance in the mirror, not much had changed. He felt silly wearing the crown in front of her so he carried it instead. Her last words to him rang in his ears, that she had loved him. Could she still love him? What would she think of him now? He knew better than to ask such a thing. She would probably be disgusted with him, but then why come to see him?

#

He walked into throne room after waiting a bit, and she was there. She wasn't facing him, but it didn't matter. He would know her anywhere. Sofia was walking slowly around the room, her hands casually clasped behind her back. She released them to run fingers through her hair, and he felt both happy and sad. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. Cedric could still hear her voice in his head, telling him that she loved him. He had wanted to take back everything he had promised to the order, but then she had been whisked away and he had been thrown into a new, dangerous world. He had coped by convincing himself she hadn't really loved him, she had left after all. That had to prove it, but then here she was.

"You wanted to see me?" he said finally. He watched her freeze, and turn slowly to look at him. Her hair was a bit longer, but otherwise she still looked as he remembered her. He felt his chest tighten, and he wanted to go to her. He wanted to pull her against him and kiss her. She would probably smack him if he did. He could see the anger building behind those pretty blue eyes.

"Yes," she said. She crossed the room to stand in front of him. She didn't curtsy, and he was glad. But now that they stood only a foot away from each other nothing was said. He couldn't read her expression, and wasn't sure what to say. He felt like he should apologize, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He saw her fists, clenched at her sides, but her face was relaxed and she met his gaze easily.

"Sofia," he said her name softly and it seemed to break the spell.

"What are you doing?" she asked. He blinked a few times, he wasn't really doing anything. Just standing there. "What happened to the real king?" she asked and he realized what she meant.

"He's uh, dead." He hadn't wanted to order the execution, but Mamanu had convinced him to.

"And the twins?" Her lower lip was quivering, and he didn't want to answer her. The weight of it threatened to crash down upon him if he told her. Hiding from his guilt had been considerably easier without her big blue eyes on him.

"They're alive, but…" he couldn't finish the sentence. She closed her eyes, and he knew that she could figure out what he had meant. They were in the dungeons. Mamanu had wanted them killed, and had even suggested Cedric marry the princess to secure his claim to the throne. But on that he had fought her until he had won.

"So what's you big plan exactly?" she snapped. "Were you just going to prance around in royal finery and then try to take over the world? Are you happy now? Now that you have everything you've ever wanted?" her voice was bitter, and servants were stopping to watch. He must have looked absurd standing there, the crown in his hand, being yelled at by Sofia. No one else would dare speak to him that way, not now.

He opened his mouth to tell her that no, he was miserable. He had been wrong about everything. He wanted her to forgive him, and he wanted to undo every atrocity he had committed.

"Is that truly how you speak to your king, peasant?" a voice shot through the room like lightning and Sofia crumpled to her hands and knees. Cedric reached for her but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Stop it," he glared at Mamanu. She always seemed to appear at the worst times, but he would not let her hurt Sofia.

"Guards! Take her away." Mamanu commanded, and they came forward to collect Sofia.

"Don't you dare," he said, causing the men to hesitate.

"You are the king, you can't let a commoner speak to you that way," Mamanu hissed, pulling him aside. He watched Sofia get to her feet, and an idea occurred to him. She would hate him, but he could explain to her later.

"You're right." He said to placate the wicked Mamanu. Then he turned back to Sofia, who was glaring at him. "And you were wrong. I don't have everything I wanted, not yet anyway." He retrieved his wand from his robes and pointed it at her. She took a step back and he saw fear in her eyes as she raised her hands defensively.

"What are you talking about," Mamanu whispered. She was skeptical, so he would have to convince her.

"I want the girl, and I will have her," he said simply.

"No you will not!" Sofia had lost her fear and was now storming towards him. With a flick of his wand she vanished in a cloud of green smoke.

"You intend to claim her then?" Mamanu crossed her arms but a smile tugged at her lips. "As a wife or mistress?"

"She will make a wonderful," he touched his mouth thoughtfully, "Pet." He had to convince the dark sorceress that Sofia wasn't any kind of threat to her plans.

"Sure you aren't losing your nerve?" She didn't look convinced, but she did appear to be quite amused with him.

"Of course not. She is very pretty," he pointed out. "But not pretty enough to sway me as you've already witnessed when I agreed to join you to begin with."

"Good." She held out her hand and a small vial of dark red liquid appeared in her hand. "Then use this."

He took it and looked it over curiously, "what is it?" he asked.

"A love potion. I doubt she'll allow you near her without it."

He smiled but it made himself sick to do so. Mamanu wouldn't let anything stop her from her plans to take control of as many kingdoms as she was able. Now she was calling his bluff, and he knew he would have to give Sofia the potion or Mamanu would do away with the librarian in order to keep her plan in motion. If he refused then she would know something was up. So he thanked her, and bowed. He'd just have to figure something out.

#

Sofia found herself in a locked room. It was a fairly nice room, where visiting nobles would stay most likely. She wanted to tear everything within the tidy chamber apart and scream, but instead she sat on the bed and waited. If Cedric thought he could treat her this way then he was an idiot. He had said that he wanted her, and a small part of her had felt just the slightest butterfly and that made her even angrier. She didn't want to feel butterflies, and she had already convinced herself that she wasn't in love with him anymore.

The door to her comfortable cell opened, and when she saw Cedric quietly enter she picked up the nearest object and tossed it at his head. The pitcher shattered harmlessly against the wall beside him, but he still flinched. He looked at her, eyes wide and closed the door behind him. There was a guard out there, but she only caught a quick glimpse.

Cedric cleared his throat and started to speak, but Sofia started looking for another thing to throw.

"Wait, wait!" Cedric said, crossing the room to get to her.

"Don't come near me!"

"Sofia," he said her name so tenderly that it made her pause. She had only managed to grab a pillow anyway, so she stopped herself from hitting him in the head with it. "I need your help, please, you have to listen to me," he whispered, glancing around the room. She also looked around the room, unsure of why he was whispering.

"My help?" she asked, speaking softly as he had. He took a step closer to her, and her grip on the pillow tightened.

"I've made a mistake, many of them actually." He reached for her, and caressed her cheek. She hit him in the head with the pillow as hard as she could.

**A/N: ok so I didn't take a super long break from it. Still not sure when I'll have ch 12 up, but I do feel a little more refreshed writer-wise. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up by this sunday :)**

**I'll also just keep the story in here, it'll be easier to follow. Also, Mamanu is the sorceress from the emerald key episode, in case you were wondering. I feel like she is more intimidating then someone like Ms Nettle, and that way I don't have to awkwardly create an OC lol**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, can you see the happy ending far off in the distance? sort of? **


	12. Chapter 12

12.

Eventually Sofia calmed down enough to hear what he had to say, and he told her everything. He told her that soon all of the cultists would be together in the castle, and so would the books. He told her that they planned to open a portal to another world to summon a supernatural army, and he thought if he destroyed the books it would prevent them from casting the spell.

"I'm not sure how I'll do it," he said. "I just don't know if I can do it on my own."

"I'll help you," Sofia said, nodding. Stopping all of this had been her intention for coming to see him after all.

"There is one thing, though," Cedric said. He pulled out a vial of dark red liquid and showed it to her. Sofia eyed him warily, and he winced. "It's a love potion."

"No way!" she jumped up and crossed her arms. "Don't even think about it."

"I don't plan to use it on you," Cedric said, waving his hands to calm her. "But Mamanu expects me to, and if I don't she will know something is up."

"You can't possibly expect me to agree to take that," she tried to keep her voice from rising and pointed at the vial in his hand.

"I thought maybe you could pretend that you did," he offered. He gave her an awkward smile, and said, "otherwise who knows what she will do. She doesn't _need_ me anymore, Sofia. If she thinks I'm an obstacle to her plan she'll get rid of me. You'll be in danger as well," he added.

"So I'm just supposed to act like a love sick fool?"

"You loved me once," he pointed out.

"That was before," she hissed. She felt like laughing at the absurdity of it. How could he ask this of her after everything he had done? She _had loved_ him once, and when she had told him he had pretty much walked away from her to join up with those lunatics.

"All I meant was that, just pretend you still do." He said quietly.

Sofia turned her back to him and tried to think of some other way, but he was right. If she didn't act like she was under a love spell Mamanu would wonder why Cedric was keeping her around, and why he hadn't given her the potion. He could have her thrown in the dungeons, or kept prisoner, but how much help could she possibly be then?

"Fine, just how 'in love' am I supposed to act then?" she asked, turning back to him.

"Well," he looked at the potion, then back at her. "I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."

"Just tell me," she said feeling wary.

"You could try some of it, and then you'd know how it would influence you." He averted his eyes as he said it.

"What?" she said, "Did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes, the potion only lasts for a certain amount of time. If I dilute a drop of it I'd guess it would wear off in ten minutes, at most." He crossed the room to a table. There was a tea set, and another pitcher but this one was full of water. He opened the vial and reached for one of the delicate cups. She watched him carefully allow a single drop of the potion to fall into the teacup and then added water to the brim. Then he stirred it with his wand and looked it over.

"I don't like this," she said.

"You don't have to drink it, if you don't want to. But I've never seen anyone under a love spell, they're normally forbidden. Maybe Mamanu hasn't either," he reasoned. He set the cup back on the table and shrugged.

"I'll take it, but," she paused and looked at him closely. "I want you to promise that you'll cure me if it doesn't wear off, and be on your best behavior while I'm under the influence of this potion," she licked her lips and looked at the sinister little cup. She knew he had already broken the only promise he had made to her, but thought maybe this would remind him of just how much she was agreeing to trust him.

"My best behavior?" he asked, and she glared at him.

"You know what I mean, Cedric. Keep your hands to yourself." She picked up the cup and waited for him to agree.

"I promise," he nodded.

Despite the potion the contents of the cup looked simply like cloudy water. She gave him one last look, and hoped that this time he would keep his promise, and then drank it.

It tasted sweet, like a sugary juice. She finished it off easily, and looked down at the empty teacup. Then she glanced up at Cedric, preparing to tell him she didn't feel any different, but that had been before she saw him. She suddenly felt a little light-headed, but there he was. Her sorcerer. She smiled and took a step closer to him.

#

Cedric watched Sofia's pupils dilate when she looked at him. She set down the cup and started walking towards him, reaching for him. Her hands were on his chest before he thought to take a step back.

"Cedric?" she said quietly. Her voice was heavy and it caressed him. He took a step back, but she only followed him.

"Sofia," he countered, unprepared for this exchange. He wasn't sure what he had expected, possibly for it not to work. He continued to back away from her as she continued to pursue him.

"Oh Cedric, I missed you. I thought of you every day." She was smiling at him, and her words were tugging at his heart. Was it the truth or just part of the love potion, he wondered. His back hit the wall, and she reached up and began to tug at the yellow bowtie at his throat.

"Sofia, stop." He told her, reaching up to stop her hands.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking up at him. This made him sick, hearing her apologize to him was horrible. She had nothing to apologize for. He closed his eyes to try to clear his head, and she spoke again. "Cedric," she said. He enjoyed the way she was saying his name, and had to remind himself that it wasn't real. He tried to picture the coldness her eyes had held earlier.

"Sofia, I should be the one apologizing. Not you," he said. He looked down at her, she was still smiling at him. That smile, he didn't realize how much he had missed it until now.

"I love you," she said, she reached up and brushed her fingers against his cheek before running her hand through his hair. He shivered, knowing that it was only the enchantment making her say it, but she just sounded so sincere.

"I love you too, Sofia," he said it despite knowing that he shouldn't. It was his chance to respond as he should have a year ago, and he had to take it. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace. He whispered an apology so many times he felt the words lose meaning. She didn't smell of parchment any longer, he noticed. He released her and slid across the wall to put some distance between them. He wouldn't break another promise to her, even if it meant nothing now.

"Cedric," she cooed. "Where are you going?"

"I'm just, uh, admiring this nice tapestry," he said, but when he looked up at it he noticed it was quite plain. He really hoped the spell didn't last much longer. He wasn't sure how long he could resist her.

"Why do you keep trying to get away from me?" she asked, and her tone grew playful. Her eyes lit up and she grabbed for him only to have him dart out of her reach. This amused her greatly and she laughed, a sound that made Cedric's heart race. She continued this new game until he felt the back of his thighs hit the soft mattress. He tried to move away, but sensing her opportunity she pounced on him. They landed on the bed, her on top of him. She giggled as he hurried to get out from under her but she only followed him as he moved further onto the mattress. There was so much love in her eyes it hurt him to look up at her.

Cedric opened his mouth to speak, to plead that she move so he could make a dignified exit, but then she kissed him. Before he could stop himself his hands were in her hair and encouraging her. She pulled away for air and began to kiss his neck. He gasped, and tried to remember why he had been struggling to begin with.

The door to the room opened, and Mamanu appeared in the entrance. She put a hand to her mouth to mask her amusement, and Cedric glowered at her.

"Excuse me, I was just checking to see if everything was alright." She said. He wanted to speak, but couldn't. The door closed, and he was satisfied that she would at least now believe that he had given Sofia the potion. She must have come to see if he had.

"Sofia," he murmured, trying to ignore the way her hands began to explore him.

"Cedric," she replied softly in his ear, still kissing him.

"Could you hand me one of those teacups?" he asked finally. She moved away from him and he stood up and brushed himself off as quickly as possible.

"Did you want tea, or water?" she asked turning to beam at him.

He cleared his throat, and tried to come up with something else to stall her with. But then she shook her head slightly, and looked over at him curiously as if trying to remember something. Her smile faltered, and then faded.

The spell had worn off.

#

"Cedric?" she said, she touched her head. She felt hungover. The memory of the last few minutes rushed forward in her mind and she tossed the teacup at his head. He ducked and it shattered on the wall behind him. Heat burned her cheeks as her behavior came back to her. "You said you'd keep your hands to yourself!" she hissed, keeping her voice low to prevent anyone from hearing. The whole castle needed to believe she was still under the spell.

"I tried," he held his hands up to her. "I thought I did fairly well, actually."

"You-" she wanted to point out that he had told her that he loved her, but she couldn't do it. She had said it because she was under the influence of the love spell, but he had said it on his own. He had also apologized to her, profusely. She looked away instead, and decided to pretend it never happened to begin with. "Mamanu saw us, that was a good thing wasn't it?"

"Yes, she probably came to check up on me and make sure I had actually given that potion to you." Cedric cleared his throat, "Sofia, about what I said…"

"Let's not talk about it right now," she said. "Let's discuss what-" She started to say, but then the door opened again. She reached down and grabbed one of the remaining tea cups and held it out to him, smiling as big as she was able. "Do you want with your tea?" she said instead.

"Excuse me, sire, but Mamanu requests your presence immediately." One of the guards stood there, looking awkwardly between the two of them. Sofia smiled at him, but then looked back at Cedric. He looked pale.

"Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes." He said finally, taking the teacup from her. When the door closed both of them sighed with relief.

"That was close," Sofia said.

"Yes, it was. Come on, let's go see what Mamanu wants." He set the teacup down on the table and moved towards the door.

"She won't think it's weird that I'm accompanying you?" Sofia asked, arching an eyebrow.

"She will likely think it's weird if you don't. Remember how you felt under the love spell, you would have wanted to come. And I doubt you would have let me go alone," he said, reaching out for the door handle. "Ready?" he asked her.

Sofia squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Act like you're in love, she told herself. She looked at Cedric, and nodded. When he opened the door she took his arm and forced a smile. As they walked quietly down the hallway Sofia remembered when Cedric had escorted her to the ball so long ago. The memory was painful, but the smile on her lips relaxed into something more genuine.

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys :) I hope you like this chapter, the love potion part was fun to write lol. I'll try to get another chapter out this weekend. **


	13. Chapter 13

13.

Sofia repeated the mantra of 'be in love' while they made their way towards the tower. She didn't realize where they were going until they started to walk up the steps. She shot Cedric a questioning look, but he only shrugged.

"I was moved to other quarters once I became king," he told her quietly.

Sofia nodded, and tried to shake the déjà vu of walking up those steps with him. For a time the tower been her home, a bit of an awkward one for her protection, but still. Now Mamanu had taken up residence there, and it put a sour taste in her mouth. She wondered what Cedric thought about losing his tower, but decided not to ask him now. This was the real challenge, she reminded herself. She had to act as if she was still under the love enchantment or else Mamanu would suspect that they were up to something.

Cedric knocked, an odd sight considering the circumstances. Sofia bit her lip, and tried to plaster a look of love on her face. His own features were set harshly in indifference as he stared at the door. She decided she wouldn't need to ask how he felt about losing his tower after all.

When it opened Mamanu gestured them both inside. Not much had changed. There were more things scattered about, but otherwise it was still somewhat unchanged. The memory of dancing with Cedric here came to her mind suddenly, and she held onto it. She smiled up at him, and pretended that the last year hadn't happened. His eyes were on Mamanu, she took a seat at a stool and watched them.

"I see you brought your pet," Mamanu said.

"Did you decide on a date then?" Cedric asked, ignoring her observation. Sofia knew he was talking about the date when all the cultists would arrive here, bringing the forbidden texts with them if they had been trusted with one.

"They'll start arriving as early as this evening. Everyone should be here by tomorrow night, and then we can begin." Mamanu looked at her for a moment, and Sofia felt nervous, so she wrapped her arms around Cedric's waist and tried to appear as if she was too distracted by him to pay any attention to her. She sighed as happily as she could manage as he put an arm around her as if to appease her. Sofia's mouth was beginning to ache from all the forced smiling.

"I'll notify the servants to get the castle ready." Cedric started to turn, but Mamanu held up her hand and stopped him.

"I'm going to have the books kept in the library, guarded of course, we'll be preforming the ritual there," she said. Sofia fought the urge to roll her eyes, of course they would do it there. She was starting to believe the place was cursed.

"Good idea," Cedric said. "Do you want my help preparing the room?"

"No," she chuckled and pointed at Sofia, "I'll let you have your fun while you can. You'll be much too busy once the portal is open."

"Well then if that's all you wanted, I'll get back to that," He said, taking Sofia's arm and leading her towards the door.

"Cedric," Mamanu said, stopping them again in their attempt to flee.

"Yes?" Cedric turned and released Sofia. She attempted to pout, and hoped she had pulled it off.

"When you're done with the little librarian perhaps she would serve as a great offering."

Sofia saw Cedric stiffen, and she put her arms around his neck and her face against his chest. She didn't want the sorceress to see how pale she must have become at her words.

"I'll keep that in mind," Cedric said finally. "Will you be at dinner?"

"I wouldn't miss it," Mamanu purred.

"Good. I will see you then," Cedric said, nodding and pulling Sofia through the doorway. She tripped a little at the shift in movement, but kept up easily. He took her hand and led her down the steps of his tower. She noticed how tightly he was holding onto it, and hoped that he was planning to take her somewhere private where they could talk. Until then she would just keep trying to smile blindly and not worry about being an 'offering'.

#

Cedric made his way back to his quarters, now the royal rooms, with Sofia in tow. It was hard to think straight with the way Sofia had been looking at him and touching him. He needed to get away from prying eyes so she would go back to normal, or else he feared would start to believe her performance.

He shut his door behind them and turned to her and told her that it was safe now. He watched her whole body relax, and she reached up to touch her mouth.

"Smiling that much isn't natural," she said.

"You used to smile all of the time," he said softly. He tried not to grin, she would most likely be annoyed if he did.

"I guess," she said. "So this is where you stay now?" she looked around the room. It was an extravagant suite with all the essentials. A fireplace, bookshelves, doors leading to an oversized closet and fancy bathing room, and then there was the large bed along with other furniture for sitting and relaxing. The walls were decorated with intricate tapestries and artwork. He had thought it was all quite nice at first, but had grown tired of it. He missed his tower, the familiarity of it and the way it smelled of smoke and herbs.

"Yes, Mamanu insisted I move myself here when I became king." He moved to sit on a chaise and looked up at her.

"If the books are guarded I'm not sure how we'll be able to get to them without attracting attention," she pointed out.

"Once all of the sorcerers are here she'll put on a feast in their honor. You could appear to have over indulged in the wine and I can make a show of taking you back to my chambers," he suggested, looking away from her when she scowled. He quickly continued, "then we can try to get to the library. Destroying the books will be easy enough, if I can get to them."

"What then? Won't they be furious?"

"Then you can go, and I'll take care of that as well." He said simply, and hoped she didn't press him. No they would not be happy, and they would quickly figure out who had ruined their plans.

"Isn't there a way to do this without letting them know who did it?" Sofia asked. She paced in front of him. "And that isn't all we should do," she said slowly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"We need to get rid of them, completely. I'm guessing having them thrown in the dungeons won't work?" she stopped and looked at him.

"No, a dungeon won't hold them." He could destroy their books but they would still have the knowledge that they had taken from them. "Once they discover what I've done they'll come after me," he told her. "I'll take as many with me as I can, but likely it won't end well."

"Your plan is a suicide mission?" she gasped.

"Can you think of a better one?" he asked, smiling darkly.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. She resumed pacing and hugged herself as she walked. He watched her, and remembered how she use to hum when she was busy doing things, he wondered if she still did that. She wasn't doing it now.

"We could poison them," she said finally. "At this great feast thing, I could sneak into the kitchens and poison the food." Her face was pale, and he couldn't imagine her capable of mass murder like that.

"Could you?" he asked, "Knowing what it would do?"

"Yes!" she answered defensively. "It's the only way to free Enchancia from their grasp," she glanced at him then turned away. She was always turning away from him now. "I can do it, if you get me the poison."

"Then I wouldn't need to destroy the books," he pointed out and she shot him a look. "But I still will," he said quickly.

"Will you?" she asked, her hands on her hips she looked down at him with a frown. "No one should have access to that kind of magic."

"Yes." He stood up and walked to her, "I promise." He would have taken her hands if he had thought she would allow it.

#

They passed the rest of the time plotting. Cedric knew he could make a poison easily enough, the problem was how execute the rest of the plan. First Sofia needed an excuse to go to the kitchen, then she would need to poison the food without anyone noticing, and it would need to be something that no one would taste in their meal. A slow acting poison would be best, he decided. People dropping dead immediately after eating would likely stop others from consuming the same tainted food. There seemed to be so many things to consider. The chance that the wrong people would ingest the poison, the chance that the cultists wouldn't all eat the affected meal, they'd have to plan everything carefully.

Sofia came up with the idea to do a toast with poisoned wine instead of using food, selecting something special to encourage the cultist to taste it. There was a cellar under the kitchen with an exceptional selection, it wouldn't seem suspicious to offer them a glass of something rare and special for a toast. Nor would it be suspicious for him to go down and select the wine himself with her to accompany him.

A knock at the door made them both jump. No one would enter his room without permission, except maybe Mamanu, but Sofia didn't seem willing to chance it. She dropped down onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck in a close embrace.

"It's open," he called, eyeing her nervously.

"Your majesty, dinner is ready," a servant bowed low at the door, and then left as quickly as he had come. There was a brief moment after the door closed, that Sofia stayed where she was. He fought the urge to pull her closer and kiss her, and was both relieved and disappointed when she stood quickly and smoothed out her dress.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked her, though so far she had played the part of love sick fool quite well, a little too well if he was honest. It was getting harder to endure on his part without succumbing to the illusion.

"Of course I am," she nodded, but he saw that her hands were shaking slightly.

He stood and put his arm around her, leading her to the door. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but couldn't think of anything to say.

#

Sofia walked down the hall, smiling even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. She wasn't even slightly hungry even though she had eaten very little that day. Cedric's arm draped around her confused her, but everything was confusing her about him. Acting as if she was under the spell was mentally exhausting, especially since it mirrored a better time.

They came to the dining hall and met Mamanu. Even though it was only her and them the table was massive, and had been added onto. No doubt to prepare for the coming cultists. If any had arrived they had chosen to skip this meal. Sofia took a seat next to Cedric who sat across from Mamanu.

There was very little talk. They ate quietly, and only when they were finished did Mamanu speak. She had studied Sofia for most of the meal, and Sofia had in response given all of her attentions to Cedric. She brushed his bangs out of his eyes with her hand, leaned her head against his shoulder when it was appropriate, and kept the smile painted on her face.

"I've begun preparing the library for the ritual," Mamanu said.

"How is that going?" Cedric asked.

"Easily," Mamanu shrugged. "But there is much to do, so if you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave." She stood and gave him a dramatic bow and then left. Sofia turned to Cedric, still mindful of the servants milling around.

"What shall we do now?" she asked him, her tone suggestive.

"Take a walk," he said, standing and taking her hand. He led her out through the kitchen and then to the gardens. The sun was setting, and the air was thick with the scent of flowers and herbs. Sofia sighed, and felt like she could relax, just a little.

"Are you alright?" he whispered. Obviously he thought it was safe enough to speak freely, but they still held hands as they walked for any on-lookers benefit.

"I'm fine," she said through her smile. In truth she was really looking forward to a soft bed.

"here," he said, and handed her a strange plant with small white flowers he pulled free from the ground.

"What is it?" she asked, taking it.

"Hemlock," he began picking a few other things and handing them to her, creating a very peculiar bouquet.

"Oh," she said as it dawned on her. It was for the poison they would need later. She followed him, watching him work. He seemed to identify the deadly plants with amazing accuracy, and she tried not to be impressed, but she was. She had always admired his skill with magic, even now. When he seemed satisfied he placed a hand on the small of her back and directed her back to his quarters. He had mixed in enough windflowers to hopefully hide their true intent.

When they were safely inside his room she breathed an audible sigh of relief. She set his deadly ingredients on the table and walked straight over to the bed. She sat on it, then let herself fall backwards onto the luxurious blankets.

"This won't be easy to do without access to my workshop, but I think I can manage." He spoke, but his voice was fading. Sofia had already closed her eyes as he began to mutter about leaves and roots. His voice made her feel calm, if she didn't think about it too much. She spared a fleeting thought to her pack, still at the inn, before drifting off to sleep.

#

Cedric was halfway through preparing the ingredients before he noticed Sofia had fallen asleep. He paused, and looked at her. She finally looked at peace, though uncomfortable. He walked over and looked down at her, her legs dangling off the bed and her arms splayed out. After some deliberation he gently shifted her so that she was fully on the bed, and then gently removed her shoes. He covered her with a blanket, and set a pillow near her head in case she stirred enough to take it. Then he turned back to his work. He had serious doubts that he would get any sleep that night, but at least his busy hands would keep his mind from wandering over to the librarian and the mess they had found themselves in. The mess he had put them in, he reminded himself bitterly.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, :) **

**Hopefully I'll have another chapter up in a few days**

**a big thanks to everyone who has reviewed and fav'd the story so far! ^^**


	14. Chapter 14

14.

Cedric's eyes snapped open as a hand touched his shoulder. He jumped, but it was only Sofia. He smiled at her, relieved, but she was frowning down at the mess on the table.

"It should be ready now, I just need to bottle it." He must have fallen asleep at the table while waiting for everything to simmer long enough. He retrieved an empty flask and poured the deep violet mixture into it.

"How long will it take to...?" She asked.

"Perhaps an hour," he said, showing it to her. "That should be enough time to make sure they've all sampled the wine." She nodded and glanced down at her dress.

"All of my clothes are back at the inn," she told him.

"I can send for them, until then I'll find you something to wear." He stood up and stretched.

"You'll pick something out, huh?" she gave him a genuine grin, and her teasing caught him off guard. He smirked and held up his hands defensively.

"I happen to have amazing taste," he said.

"You always wear the same thing," she pointed out.

"Well, I suppose that's true," he said as he disappeared into the massive closet. Soon he reemerged with a dress. The garment was a lovely lilac with a subdued floral print, probably something a queen or princess would wear casually.

"That's a little childish," she said, wrinkling her nose. He turned to try again, but she stopped him. "It'll be fine, just give it to me." She took it and walked past him into the closet and closed the door in order to get dressed in privacy. He found himself smiling, and bit his lip to stop it. She hadn't forgiven him, and he shouldn't fool himself into thinking that she had.

Cedric sat waiting for her, and stood when she appeared. The color seemed to suit her, as did the finery. He watched her twist her long wild hair into a loose braid and tried to imagine them in a different, less complicated life.

"So shall we go select a wine?" she asked, looking herself over in the mirror. Her voice broke him free of his thoughts.

"Yes. We should also sneak by the library to see what we might be up against." He said. "Just in case the poison plan doesn't work, or they don't all consume it."

"Ok, so then it's time to go back out there?" She tried to stand up tall.

"You really hate this don't you?" he asked, moving to stand in front of her.

"Cedric," she said his name softly. "Now isn't the time to dwell on feelings. Let's focus on what needs to be done."

He nodded, and opened the door.

#

Sofia grabbed his arm and fell back into her uncomfortable routine. She tried not to think of the way he had looked at her in the frilly dress. It was the fanciest thing she had ever worn, which only made her more uncomfortable. She had dreamed of happier times with him, and it left her even more confused. She had spent a year trying to escape her feelings for him, and had thought she had succeeded.

Cedric walked down the halls, nodding to servants and guards as he went. Occasionally someone would approach with a question about the visitors that seemed to be streaming into the castle now. He hadn't bothered to make any preparations before, so he had to deal with issues as they came. They headed indirectly towards the kitchens where the wine cellar was. When they reached it he dismissed the servants so that he could select one for the toast in peace.

"You don't really seem to enjoy being king," Sofia noted once they were alone.

"No, I don't." he said.

"So then why…"

"Mamanu suggested it, and it appealed to my ego," he said bitterly.

"It seems you spent a lot of time taking her suggestions," Sofia pointed out. She couldn't help but think of when he abandoned her a year ago.

"I did, yes." He said and moved to the back of the cellars where the nicer stuff was kept. He selected one at random and removed the stopper. He poured the poison in carefully..

"You hardly looked at me," she said finally. It caught him off guard, and he looked at her curiously.

"What?" he asked.

"Back then, at the cultist's tower, you didn't look at me." She said quietly.

"I couldn't, I was trying to maintain my composure." He said. She looked up at him, and tried to decide if he was being honest.

"Why did you choose this life instead of me?" The words fell out of her mouth, and she wished she could take them back. She didn't want the answer.

"I thought I wanted the power the books offered more than…"

"Me." She finished for him. Hearing it out loud didn't make her feel any better. She turned to go back up to the kitchens but Cedric put a hand on her shoulder.

"I regretted it, almost instantly." He whispered. The air felt heavy and sofia stood frozen. Her back to him, but his hand was still on her shoulder. "But then I got swept up in the cult and it was too late. I didn't want you to know of the things I had done, I knew you'd hate me for it."

"I can't hate you," she said finally, turning to look at him. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she suddenly felt reckless. Her hands twitched, burning to reach out to him. She wanted to forget the past year and his fatal mistakes, but she couldn't.

"When this is over, I'll free the twins and give them back their birthright," he said.

"You'll be executed for treason," she said, her throat felt swollen. She hadn't thought past ridding the kingdom of the cult.

"It's the right thing to do," he said motioning towards the steps to the kitchen. "We need to go, we can talk later."

Sofia turned and left the cellar, feeling cold. Once they were back up in the kitchen they resumed their pretend relationship, but it was even harder for her now. Cedric handed the bottle to the cook, and let him know what it was for. He stressed that no one but the cultists were allowed to drink it.

Then they made their way towards the library, and Sofia tried to ignore the growing dread in the pit of her stomach. She really didn't want to see that place ever again, too many awful memories. They stopped a good distance away, and made a show of being casual.

"Two guards at the door? That's hardly protection." Cedric noted, he placed a hand against the wall next to her head, and leaned closer to whisper, "There may be more inside."

"We won't have to worry about the guards if the other plan works," she said, trying not to notice how close he was to her.

"We may still have to deal with them, they don't really work for me."

"They don't?" she asked, a servant crossed the hall, so Cedric leaned closer to her. It would appear as if they had simply stopped for a bit of privacy and intimacy if anyone glanced at them.

"No, most left after…" he trailed off. "Anyway, Mamanu hired men who she could trust. They work for her and only me superficially." Another guard rounded the corner and began walking their way. Sofia noticed him eyeing them curiously so she leaned up and kissed Cedric. He made a small noise against her mouth, but gave no resistance. Sofia felt flushed, forgetting for a moment that she was only acting. She enjoyed the way it made her concerns drift away.

Cedric's hand fell to her waist and the other began to work into her hair when the guard who had been approaching them cleared his throat. Cedric pulled away roughly and glared at the guard in a very convincing scowl.

"What?" he snapped.

"Mamanu requests-" The guard began.

"I know what she wants, go away." He said. The guard nodded and hurried away. Cedric started to move away from her, but she pulled him back into the kiss. She was desperate to postpone reality, for just a bit longer. He seemed more than happy to oblige her, and only after a few moments did he pull away.

"We have to go," he said slowly. He eyed her sadly, and she smiled flatly. Her heart had betrayed her. She still had feelings for him whether she wanted to or not. Even if she knew she shouldn't, she did.

"Lead the way," she said. She tried to recall the way he turned away from her a year ago, but remembered the night they spent kissing in the rain instead. Kissing and more, she thought as she blushed.

#

Cedric began to think of ways to prolong the inevitable, but there was no path he could see. He couldn't stay a king, and relinquishing the kingdom was the only way he could think to earn her forgiveness, even if it meant his death. It had already gotten late, and the feast would be starting soon. He distracted himself from his unpleasant thoughts with images of the librarian, humming, twirling, and smiling.

They made their way to the throne room after Cedric stopped to inquire about Mamanu's whereabouts. The sorceress stood with a hooded figure, and Cedric had a good idea who the other cultist was. As he got closer the hood was removed and his suspicions confirmed. Slickwell, a former castle steward of Rudistan who had an affection for cursed objects and intrigue. Cedric never liked the man, though he hadn't grown terribly close to any of the cultists.

"Cedric, how wonderful to see you again," he said, stepping forward. "And the librarian, oh dear you probably don't remember me," he took Sofia's hand and gave it a polite kiss.

"Lucky her," Cedric said, arms crossed. Sofia nodded, and took a step closer to Cedric.

"I had things I wanted to discuss with you both," Mamanu said. A servant crept into the room, and she waved him forward.

"I brought additional beverages for the king and his, uh, companion," the servant said delicately. He held out a tray to Cedric, and he took one of the cups and handed the other to Sofia. The servant scurried away and Cedric watched him go curiously. The way Mamanu shifted staff around he never seemed to see the same people more than a few times.

"Cedric, set that down I want you to look at this," Mamanu gestured towards a table scattered with papers. He set the cup down and glanced over the papers, the seemed like drawings of the mark that would need painted onto the floor in the library.

"Drink girl, you look terribly thirsty," Slickwell said to Sofia.

"Is there a problem with the ritual?" Cedric asked, giving a cold look to Slickwell. Sofia took a polite sip of her cup, and then began to drink in earnest.

"We need a blood sacrifice," Mamanu said. She was watching Sofia, and so was Slickwell. Cedric suddenly felt very uneasy.

"We've known that since the beginning, so what's the problem?" he asked.

"I suspect we don't have one, now." Slickwell smiled at Sofia and she smiled back.

"What did you do?" Cedric said, rushing to stand between the two.

"Love potion, same as you." Mamanu said, shrugging. "I thought it would be easier for you if she wasn't enamored with you any longer."

"Easier for me?" Cedric fought to keep his composure.

"I've decided the librarian will make an excellent blood offering to open the portal. You don't really care for her, do you?" Mamanu asked, but there was a threat in her tone and Cedric heard it loud and clear.

"No, but why her?" he asked.

"Oh Cedric, we'll get you a new pet," Slickwell cooed. Sofia had walked around Cedric and was now putting her arms around the cultist. Cedric wanted to punch the man in the face, but refrained. If he admitted how much she meant to him now they would both be in great danger. He could only hope that Sofia was too love-struck to reveal their plan.

"Come on Cedric, I want to show you the library." Mamanu placed her hand on his shoulder and started to lead him away. "We don't have much longer to wait now, they're already setting up the feast in the dining hall." She told him with annoying lightness.

Cedric mumbled an agreement, and tore his eyes away from Sofia. Thinking mostly that Slickwell better keep his hands off of her, and he wouldn't let them kill her at the ritual no matter what. The cultists weren't the only ones who knew dark magic now, and he would do whatever was needed to keep her safe. He silently promised her that while following Mamanu to the library.

**Slickwell! Lol yeah I thought he'd make a better co-villain than Greylock, also I love Slickwell for some reason. Anyway yeah a few more chapters left :) hope u guys liked it. I've beed editing chapters on my iPad so if there are any weird words/spelling blame that lol.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: just a short set of flashbacks to shed some light on Cedric's time with the cult while Sofia was traveling. Mostly to just clear up any confusion about the whys and whats and so on :)**

15.

~flashback~

Cedric paged through the forbidden text, using Mamanu's translation material. He had all of the books laid out on the table in front of him. The chanting in the next room was grating on his nerves, but he was grateful that his presence hadn't been expected. Mamanu wanted him to find some kind of summoning ritual, and his translation skills seemed to surpass that of the other members.

He was only half-heartedly searching though, and instead he was absorbing as much information from them as he could. He hardly ever got a chance to be alone with the texts, Mamanu liked to keep them to herself and the few members she trusted the most.

The chanting began to wind down, and Cedric closed his eyes. A muffled scream was cut short, and he felt sick. At least this time he wasn't there to witness the offering firsthand. Sofia's face appeared in his mind, smiling at first, but then looking at him with disgust. He shook his head of the vision and tried to focus on the books, and the reason why he was there.

Thinking of Sofia just made it harder, and he wanted to get as much from these books as he could and then get away from this cult and its madness. He wouldn't be able to go back to his old job at the castle, but it wouldn't matter. Once he mastered enough of these spells he could do whatever he liked. People would respect him, and even fear him.

"Have you found it?" Mamanu asked. They must have finished in the other room.

"No," he said without looking up.

"Well, keep looking."

Mamanu stood across from him, holding a crown she had materialized out of thin air. She held it up to him with a wicked smile, and he found his heart racing at the presence of it. Oh the things they would say if he was king, the things they wouldn't _dare_ say if he was king. He smiled and agreed. He only needed to find her that ritual, and then the crown would be his.

Cedric paced outside of the decrepit tower, trying to shake the panic that seemed to grow with each passing day. It was quickly becoming evident that he didn't have the stomach for dark magic. And he had found the ritual Mamanu had been searching for, but couldn't bring himself to tell her yet. The more he read about it the worse it seemed. Even he couldn't fathom a reason anyone would want to open a portal and summon the horrors from inside of it. Nothing good could come from that.

A butterfly drifted in the wind, and Cedric watched it curiously. It reminded him of soft smiles and big blue eyes. He didn't like thinking of her by name, it made her too real. She would hate him now, he knew this above everything. But a looking at a butterfly was better than seeing the blood.

The weight of the crown on his head felt unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the crimson stain on his hands that would never be washed off.

"No." he said it with as much finality as he could manage against her. Mamanu was not easily swayed, she stood like a mountain against his declaration.

"They both threaten your claim-"

"No." he crossed his arms. Not the children, though they were both young adults now. Not them. That was going too far.

"Fool! Do you honestly think you have a say in this? Really?" she hissed at him. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her so angry before.

"They pose no danger where they are," he pointed out. "We have other things to attend to, don't we? Your big plan?" he sneered.

"Why yes, we do." Her voice had gone hard, and he knew he had won, but there would be an unseen cost. She would strike at him the next chance she got, but he didn't care.

It was storming outside, and that only brought more bittersweet memories to his mind. Thoughts he kept at bay, while focusing on the stack of paperwork. Who knew being King required so much drudgery, he certainly didn't. The proclamations and laws could wait, he was too wrapped up with his current situation. He found himself trapped within this cult, and now he needed a way out. But there was no way out, or there wouldn't be after Mamanu opened the portal. If only he could stop it, but he had no idea how to manage that. As much as he entertained the idea of just vanishing to the furthest corner of the world, he couldn't do it. Not with the knowledge of what would come, and how it would impact the lives of everyone. Not everyone, but her. He sighed and tried to think of a plan.

**:) Hope y'all enjoy. I'll have another chapter posted hopefully tomorrow, and it'll be a normal chapter and the story will resume. Also I changed the summary of the story to fit it better, so what do you guys think? I love hearing from you guys :) **

**Anyway, hope you didn't mind the brief flashback chapter lol, the story will resume shortly.**


	16. Chapter 16

16.

Cedric couldn't pay attention as Mamanu rattled on in the library. She was telling him details about the ritual, and showing him where the portal would open, but he could only think of Sofia. He hated leaving her alone with Slickwell, especially while she was under the influence of a love spell. He should have suspected that Mamanu would pull something like this. Perhaps he should have simply sent the librarian away and dealt with the cult on his own. But no, he had selfishly chosen to keep her close.

Or maybe he should have chosen her over the cult that time so long ago, and then avoided all of this. Though it was unlikely the cult would have let them leave peacefully, but he could have tried. He should have tried.

He eventually forced himself to note where the seal was painted on the floor, directly in the center. Shelves and all other furniture had been pressed up against the walls and the room was lit with dozens of candles. The symbols on the floor were all too familiar, and he knew once the seal was given blood it would open a portal to a darker world. Mamanu hoped to control the creatures that emerged from its depths, and the seals for binding were painted all over the room. There was a table set near everything, on it were all of the forbidden texts. They were opened to various pages, ready to be used if the need arose.

As Mamanu continued to speak he nodded when it seemed appropriate, but he was anxious to leave and get to the feast. He wanted to see that Sofia was safe, and watch Slickwell drink the poisoned wine. There were so many things that could go wrong now. Sofia could alert the cultists of their plan, or she could even drink it herself while under the spell's hold. He wasn't sure what she was or wasn't capable of in her current state.

The relief he felt when Mamanu finally suggested they move on to the dining hall was incredible. He must not have hidden his emotions well enough because Mamanu decided to offer comfort.

"I know you two had a history, but what is in the past is in the past. This is really for the best, I'm sure you understand that?" she asked.

"Of course," he nodded solemnly.

"Love is a distraction, and it is a fleeting one," she said bitterly. Cedric arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. He had once thought of Sofia as a distraction, but that seemed so long ago. In fact, he'd give anything to go back and shake his former self until he gained some sense.

Mamanu had said what she had wanted, and the rest of their walk was silent. The growing noise from the dining hall took his attention and when the doors open he searched for Sofia. She sat next to a rather annoyed looking Slickwell. Sofia gazed up at him with adoration in her eyes, but when she reached up to touch him he pushed her hand away. Cedric felt relieved, though he doubted Slickwell would keep it up once he realized who was watching them.

He sat next to Mamanu and tried to participate in the various discussions going on around him. It was important that he didn't let on about what was about to happen. He also watched Sofia for any signs of alerting the others. As Cedric had predicted, once Slickwell noticed he had an audience he allowed her to sit on his lap. She seemed to be too preoccupied with playing with the curls in his hair to warn anyone.

Cedric drummed his fingers on the table, scooting food around on his plate and waiting for the toast. When at last it was time, servants brought everyone at the table a decorative chalice. Cedric stood up, holding his own out until he had their attention.

He forced a smile, casting nervous glances towards Sofia, but she didn't seem to even notice him. She still sat on the cultist's lap and her mind was on him. She held her own glass casually, because it was what Slickwell was doing.

"To the future," Cedric said finally, raising the wine. Everyone did the same, and he watched as they took drinks. Sofia glanced at him for a moment, then down at the wine in her hand, brow furrowed in confusion, before setting it on the table. Then she smacked the glass out of Slickwell's hand before he could taste it. He shoved her off of his lap, cursing. No one seemed to notice, except for Cedric. Until he turned to see that Mamanu had also witnessed the commotion. She set her own wine down without taking any, and narrowed her eyes.

Nothing happened. All of the other cultist's had participated in the toast and would soon die, but not for about an hour. (except for Mamanu and Slickwell). Seeing nothing else unusual Mamanu seemed to relax, but she did not pick the wine up again.

Cedric felt relieved, considering the circumstances their plan had gone as well as he could hope. Soon, they'd be moving on to the library and his main goal would be to keep Sofia alive as well as stop Mamanu from opening the portal.

#

Cedric followed Mamanu back towards the library while the cultist's trailed behind. Slickwell and Sofia were the closest, he couldn't pass up a chance to annoy Cedric. Unfortunately for him Cedric was determined to ignore his attempts. He was too busy trying to figure out how much time he would have to wait for the poison to kick in.

The library was still well-lit with candles, but it had grown fiercely dark outside. Slickwell led Sofia to the seal towards the center of the room while the others took their places as Mamanu directed them. Suddenly, one of them began to cough. Mamanu paid it no mind and the chanting began. Cedric wasn't participating, though he doubted anyone would notice. Sofia stood willingly in the seal, as Slickwell had instructed her to, the look of love on her face renewed Cedric's anger. More coughing started.

Mamanu held out the dagger meant for Sofia, preparing to take it to Slickwell, but then paused when the coughing turned violent. One of the cultist's clutched at his throat, stumbled forward and fell to his knees. The choking noise began to echo throughout the room as slowly the others fell under the effects of the poison.

Mamanu gripped the dagger and whirled to face Cedric. She pointed the decorative weapon at him, scowling.

"You poisoned the wine!" She hissed. "It doesn't matter," she tossed the dagger at Slickwell who easily caught it. "Cut her throat." She commanded.

"It's over," Cedric said, holding out his wand. "I'm not letting you hurt her, or open the portal." His attention was split between Mamanu and Slickwell.

"You mean with the ritual you helped me find?" she asked. "I gave you Enchancia and this is my thanks?"

"I made a mistake," Cedric said.

"The only mistake you made was believing that power would make you any less of a fool!" she shouted at him. Her words might have stung at one time, but now they didn't even make him flinch. There was too much truth in it, and he knew that now. He was a fool, and his quest for power only made him more so.

"I won't let you do this," he said, refusing to acknowledge her insult.

"You're too late. All we need now is the blood." She nodded to Slickwell and he held up the dagger. Sofia continued to look up at him with a relaxed, trusting smile.

Cedric shot the first curse he could think of at his chest and the man fell, the dagger with him. It had been a cutting curse, and his chest was now a gaping wound. Before he could turn to Mamanu he was flung backwards against a wall, landing with an unpleasant crunch. He staggered to his feet, trying to ignore the building pain in his arm. Something might be broken, but he'd have to worry about it later.

The cultists who still clung to life began to fire curses into the air in desperation, even in death still trying to aid their mistress. Guards, after hearing the explosive commotion from within the library, began to enter the room. Mamanu shouted for them to stop him, but in the confusion some merely ran away and others appeared hesitant.

Cedric dodged the curses that were flung carelessly around as best as he could, but soon his skin was covered in welts and blisters from near-misses. He ignored the pain and instead leveled as many destructive spells as he could think of at Mamanu. She easily dodged them and cast plenty right back at him.

"Cedric!" He heard her voice carry through the chaos. The room was beginning to shake and books were falling off the shelves. Something bad was happening.

#

Sofia woke as if out of a long dream, in the moments it took her memories to come rushing back she witnessed pure chaos. Slickwell was dead by Cedric's hand, which must have been what broke the spell. And more fell as the poison caught up with them. She saw Mamanu and Cedric locked in a deadly duel before catching the sorceress staring just past her. Sofia turned to see Slickwell's still form bleeding out from the wound and onto the seal, which was starting to glow. She called out for Cedric as the room began to shake.

"Blood was offered to the seal, the portal is opening!" Mamanu shouted over the chaos.

Sofia scrambled forward, looking for Cedric. The room was shaking violently now, and was filled with smoke from some of the miscast curses. The air had a faint acidic odor which was making her eyes water. She pushed through it, and finally found Cedric. He was cornered by two guards. She grabbed the first thing she could, a heavy reference text which hopped about on the ground as the floor behind her opened up.

She hit the nearest guard in the head with the heavy tome. He faltered enough that it distracted the other guard and Cedric shot them both with a spell that made them fall sleep.

"You're not killing them?" she asked.

"Sofia, the love spell…"

"That's really not what's important right now," Sofia pointed at the ruptured ground that was forming at the seal. "Slickwell's blood opened the seal and completed the ritual." Her voice was raspy. He had heard his conversation with Mamanu, he had helped her find the ritual and had done so for the crown.

"Did he hurt you?" Cedric asked, and Sofia shook her head.

"Cedric! Can you close the portal?" She wanted to yell at him, and demand answers, but now wasn't the time.

"No," he said slowly. They both turned to see long black tendrils emerge from the hole. Mamanu was celebrating, but nothing else came through. Instead the black tentacle-like arms began to flop around the room until they would reach a body. Then it would wrap around the corpse and drag it back into the portal. Then another arm would appear to repeat the process.

"What?" Mamanu dodged the arm and ran for the books, flipping through the pages. "This isn't right," she cried.

"Cedric? What's going on?" She asked him, horrified as the arms continued to snatch up the dead. He shook his head, and looked over to Mamanu. He levelled a wand at her and a stream of fire shot through the air and hit the books. Sofia gasped, he destroyed the books. He didn't even hesitate this time. She felt a thin flicker of hope as the dry material mixed with the fumes in the air created a quick pyre. Mamanu jumped back, enraged.

"I must have found the wrong ritual," Cedric shoved Sofia behind him as Mamanu lifted her wand at them. "I must have mistranslated something."

Mamanu began to speak but one of the black arms found her, wrapped around her torso and began dragging her back. She screamed and fought it, but soon she was swallowed up by the portal. The arms kept coming, twitching and writhing along the floor. Sofia saw one pass over a sleeping guard and clutch a cultist instead.

"What do we do?" Sofia asked, jumping back as an arm got too close.

"You have to run, run far and run fast." He leaned against a shelf, watching the portal. His face lit by the fire from the burning books.

"I can't just run away!" she shouted at him. She grabbed the front of his robe and forced him to face her. "If the world is about to end then now is as good as any! I want the truth from you, sorcerer." If they were about to die or be dragged into a nightmare realm then the least he could do is offer an explanation.

"The truth?" he asked. A bookshelf crashed down across the room, and the arms began to break it up and push it away from the portal.

"Why? Why did you choose the cult? Why did you help them do this? Why did you take the throne? Answer me!" Sofia fanned smoke away from her face, but her eyes still stung.

"Because I didn't want to live in my father's shadow. Because I know what people say about me. Because I know what my reputation is. And I hated it!" He clenched his fists, closed his eyes and added softly, "It was stupid, I regret it." He turned away from her, and she let him. She tried to digest his words as he watched the arms continue to snake around the room. She found herself wanting to comfort him, she had not known he was under that amount of scrutiny, but stopped herself.

"They're only going after the cultists," she observed. Her voice was stiff, and she started to pull Cedric towards the door. They needed to go before the walls of the library fell down around them.

"That's it!" Cedric said suddenly. He jerked away from her and headed towards the portal.

"What are you doing?" she asked, following him.

"I mistranslated. Instead of a spell to summon them to us, it must have been a spell to take us to them," Cedric continued to step closer to the mouth of the portal. She hated the way he said 'us'.

"So? The cultists are gone! Why are the things still here?" She grabbed his arm. He was getting too close and she had a sinking feeling he was planning to do something rash.

"I'm all that's left, they're searching-"

"I don't think so," she started to pull him back but one of the black arms shot out between them and wrapped around him. "No!" she held on as tightly as she could and tried to pull him back, but she made no progress. She saw his feet reach the edge of the opening and in a panic she grabbed the first weapon her hands touched, the dagger. It laid on the floor, forgotten. She gripped it tightly and plunged it into the arm that held Cedric. As the blade sank in an ear-piercing shriek began to emit from the creature. Both Sofia and Cedric covered their ears. Her teeth rattled.

"I'm sorry Sofia, but I have to do this." He shouted next to her so she could hear him over the screeching. "I'm sorry about what I've done. This will make things right, even if I stay I'll be executed for treason, remember? Let me do this."

Sofia shook her head, her heart raced and the tears in her eyes fell down her cheeks. The arms retreated back into the portal and a horror emerged instead, stopping both her and Cedric from continuing to argue. The monstrosity turned glowing red eyes to the couple, and Sofia struggled to her feet.

"He isn't part of this, you have all of the cultists, now go!" she shouted at it. She turned to Cedric, still on the ground beside her. "I'm not letting you do this, so don't even think about it." She looked at it, and met the horrible red gaze. Her body trembled from fear but she stayed on her feet. Cedric had made mistakes, dreadful mistakes, but he hardly deserved to be taken to a nightmare world. She wouldn't allow it. Her heart wouldn't let her allow it. She loved him, flaws and all. Maybe she didn't fully forgive him, but he needed her to encourage him to be a better man and she was willing to provide that at least. She reached down and picked up a broken piece of table and threw it at the monster, it didn't even blink. If it could blink. The wood just bounced off.

She held her breath, and waited. Seconds passed by slowly before the thing began to sink back down into its hole. Once it was gone there was a poof of deep red mist and the portal was gone. Only the damage of it remained. Sofia fell to her knees and looked at Cedric, feeling both relief and anger.

"You hit it with a table leg and told it leave," he said quietly. "And it left." His face was rather pale.

"I guess I'm scarier than anything it's ever seen before," she said hotly. It wasn't meant to be a joke but Cedric laughed anyway. She glowered at him, still unamused.

"I know you hate me," he said, calming down. "But, I still love you. And I'm still going to do what's right and free the twins." He glanced around at the destroyed library. The windows were shattered, the room lit by fire that still consumed the books. It hadn't spread, but it was magic fire so it probably wasn't meant to.

"I don't hate you, I've told you that a thousand times." Well twice, but she dared him to correct her. "If I wouldn't let the monster take you, I'm not going to let the twins hang you for treason. I'll think of something."

**Sorry this chapter is **

**1. LOOOONG and **

**2. CRAZY**

**Maybe she should have let Cedric sacrifice himself…. But I couldn't write it that way. I tend to see Cedric as someone who is easily influenced or manipulated. And while someone like Sofia brings out his good side, someone like Mamanu can bring out his bad side. At least that's what I was trying to communicate here…. Hope I managed it at least somewhat :) One more chapter to go, I think… feel free to let me know what you think. I have family visiting so the next chapter probably won't be up until next weekend**


	17. Chapter 17

17.

Sofia trailed after Cedric on the way to the dungeons. Her body was still buzzing with adrenaline from staring down the creature in the portal.

"Maybe you should leave, and I'll free the twins. Then you can be gone by the time they're out," she suggested, but it sounded weak even to her. She watched his shoulders fall and he stopped to look back at her.

"I can't run forever, and with the price they'll put on my head I won't be able to," he pointed out.

"So what are you going to do?" Sofia asked

"Request mercy," he shrugged his shoulders and then resumed walking. The halls were empty, likely due to the tremendous commotion from the library. The servants and guards had either fled or taken shelter, especially if they had heard any rumors of what was supposed to have taken place. And Sofia knew better than anyone how quickly gossip spread in the palace. She threw her hands up in the air and followed.

"Why are you so determined to risk your life?" She demanded.

"I'm just finally willing to accept the consequences for my actions," he said stiffly. They reached the steps that led down to the dungeon, and began the descent. Sofia couldn't think of an argument for what he had said. It _was _the right thing to do, after all. Still, she couldn't let him do it. But the alternative was for him to remain as King, and that was a horrible idea. He hated it for one thing, and he was terrible at it.

When they reached the dungeons she was surprised to see just how many people occupied the cells. Cedric held his head high as the prisoners cursed at him as he passed. However, one voice stood out and for a moment Sofia was distracted.

"Sofia?" Called a small voice in surprise. Sofia stopped and saw Meg in one of the cells.

"Meg?" Sofia rushed to the bars and took the poor girls hands.

"What are you doing back here, with him?" She glared at the sorcerer, and Sofia could only offer an awkward smile.

"I'm here to help," she tried to reassure her friend, but Cedric had continued to the back of the room so she had to catch up. "I'm sorry, but I…" she pulled away and tried to give her an apologetic smile. Meg appeared confused, but not angry. Sofia hoped she'd have a chance to explain herself, but first she had to somehow prevent Cedric's death.

"You let us out this instant!" A voice rang out passionately. Sofia saw Princess Amber, hands clutching the bars of her cell and eyes burning into Cedric. She was with her brother and the castle steward, Baileywick. She wore a fantastic yellow gown which had lost its luster. Her hair was dirty and unkempt, but a tiara still graced her head. Prince James stood beside her, arms crossed and dressed in his own rumpled finery.

"What do _you_ want?" Prince James demanded, unlike the shrill indignation of his twin his voice was ice, cold and hard. No one seemed to notice Sofia at first.

"I'm releasing you all," Cedric said. He retrieved his wand and held it out to the lock.

"Wait," Sofia grabbed his hand. She felt all eyes turn to her.

"The librarian?" Baileywick shook his head slightly. He had known about Sofia's relationship with Cedric, as well as its dissolution. Last he would have heard she was leaving Enchancia for good, and now here she was.

"Miss Sofia?" Prince James peered past the bars at her, he didn't look pleased.

"Who is she?" Princess Amber asked no one in particular.

"Sofia," Cedric couldn't look at her. "I have to do this."

"He stopped the cult," she said, feeling desperate. She looked at Prince James, hoping he could be reasoned with. "He destroyed the books, all of them, and the cultists are dead."

The Prince was silent for a moment, and then nodded. "That's good news, but are we just supposed to ignore his treachery?"

"And what he _did_?" Amber said, venom in her voice. It wasn't hard to infer what she meant. Cedric's worst crime had been the King's execution, even if it had been at Mamanu's insistence

"No," Sofia closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm just asking that you spare his life, after he sets you free." She looked into the hard faces of the twins, and the disappointed frown of the castle steward.

"And if I refuse?" Prince James asked, "Will we be left here to rot?"

"No, of course not." Cedric cast the unlocking spell. "I will await your decision."

Sofia watched helpless as the sorcerer was ushered into the now empty cell. Baileywick set to work freeing the other prisoners while the twins regarded her grimly.

#

Cedric sat in the dungeon, alone. The discussion of his fate was moved above, likely to the throne room. He looked at his wand, tempted to free himself and flee. In truth they couldn't keep him here, and he wasn't so sure he was as ready to die as he had originally thought.

Sofia would likely approve, it would save his life. He would be on the run, but that didn't look so bad next to execution now. He'd also never see her again, and that was what stopped him. He sighed and glanced around at his dismal surroundings, missing his tower. He decided to be patient, and see just how this played out.

#

Sofia found herself with the unpleasant duty to not only fill in the royals on the past few days, but to also plead for Cedric's life. After a quick tour of the carnage trusted guards were sent to eradicate any further threat leftover from the cult's reign, then they found themselves in the throne room.

"After what he did I see no reason to offer mercy," Princess Amber fumed. She alternated between pacing angrily and arguing.

"I believe exile is more than punishment enough," Sofia said. "He won't be able to work as a royal sorcerer anywhere else, he'll be forced to live the life of a nomad." But he wouldn't be dead, she thought.

"The law is very clear on treason," Prince –no he was now the King. _King_ James didn't seem to enjoy the conversation. His features appeared strained.

"He helped save Enchancia from the cult," she glanced out a window and realized the sun was starting to rise. She had not slept since the night before, but she fought her exhaustion. "I came to try to reason with him, but he offered me no resistance. He wanted the cult gone as much as anyone."

"If I may," Baileywick pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Both royals gave him their full attention. Sofia watched him, hopeful.

"Yes, Baileywick?" King James looked eager to hear him speak.

"Now that you are King, rightfully, you should think about what kind of King you want to be. Sentencing Cedric will be your first true act as Ruler, and it can say a lot about how you plan to govern. On one hand execution can portray strength and justice, but it can also symbolize brutality. Exile as a show of mercy creates a stark contrast from what _he_ did after he took the throne, and can show you as a compassionate and peaceful ruler. Laws are made by kings, sire, and I will support whatever you decide."

"I wish father was here," James said quietly.

"It's _his_ fault that he isn't," Princess Amber reminded him. She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor. Sofia opened her mouth, but then closed it. She wanted to give the new King a chance to think. She held her breath, not sure what she would do if he couldn't be swayed.

"I choose justice," He looked past Sofia at Baileywick. "The execution will be at sunset."

#

Cedric had started to doze off when he heard footsteps echo throughout the dungeon. His eyes snapped open and he clutched at his wand. A small lamp bounced along the path between cells, but when he saw who held it he relaxed. Until he saw the two guards following her. She was looking down at her feet, so he suspected she had come to tell him bad news.

"What's going on?" he asked, standing as close to her as the bars would allow.

"They're going to execute you at sunset," Sofia said softly.

"I figured as much," he looked up at the guards. "Could you two lads give us a bit of privacy?" he asked, his casual tone surprised them and they took a few steps away.

"This is all your fault." She at him, tears in her eyes. "You should have come with me, you shouldn't have gotten involved with that cult."

"I know," he touched her hand through the bars of the cell. Another glare at the guards and they turned their backs. Sofia rested her forehead against the bars, eyes closed.

"Cedric, I can't let you die." She looked up at him, and whispered something. He couldn't make it out. He leaned closer to her, shaking his head to indicate that he hadn't heard her.

"What?" he asked.

"Can you put those guards to sleep?" she said it barely above a whisper, and his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. So, his librarian had some kind of a plan. He nodded, and with a careful flick of his wand both guards fell under a similar sleeping spell to the he had used before in the library.

"Good," Sofia pulled out a set of keys, and began trying to find the right one.

"Sofia?" he said, stopping her hand. He almost wanted to ask how she had managed to steal those keys, but now wasn't the time.

"No! I'm not letting you do this. I'm not letting you die because you think it's honorable or whatever. I'm going to help you escape, and" she took a deep breath. "Then we're getting out of Enchancia.

"We?" he asked, feeling that flutter of hope before he could extinguish it.

"Yes _we_. You can't go out there by yourself, you need me." She shook her head, as if stating the obvious. "Besides I travelled this past year, so I-"

"Sofia."

"I know you don't want to run forever," she hissed. "But it's better than being dead!" She kept trying keys, her hands shaking. "We have to hurry,"

"Sofia," he said softly.

"What?" she demanded. She put her hands on her hips. Her face was flushed and her big blue eyes narrowed.

He smiled, he couldn't stop himself, and then he unlocked the cell with the spell he had used earlier.

#

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sofia hissed.

"Now really isn't the time," Cedric replied. Neither of them had slept, or eaten, but the castle was still fairly vacant. They rushed through halls and finally found a door to the outside with no one in sight.

"Ok, but…" she paused to follow him out the door and down a set of steps. They'd have to avoid roads and villages until they were out of Enchancia. She sneered down at the extravagant lilac dress she was now stuck wearing for who knows how long. She spared a thought for her pack, abandoned at the Inn, and then pushed on. She'd find something else to wear as soon as she could, but until then she would just have to manage. At least it was still in fairly good condition considering what it had been through. "All I'm saying is that you could have unlocked the cell a little sooner."

"I didn't want to be rude," he said.

She saw him smirk, and she narrowed her eyes. _What was she doing_, she asked herself. She was not only aiding a wanted criminal, but committing treason herself. She touched her chest, feeling her heart beating frantically. Sofia knew she still loved him, even if she was still angry. Though she wasn't sure exactly how angry she was anymore.

Their pace slowed as they arrived in the relative safety of the forest. Luckily everywhere was deserted so, they hadn't been seen. Sofia felt the wave of hunger and exhaustion hit her, and she stumbled. She looked at Cedric, who had caught her to prevent her from falling.

"We need to find a place to hide, so we can rest," Sofia said, pulling away from him. She rubbed her eyes, trying to think.

"I can transport us to the tower in the woods," at Cedric's suggestion Sofia stood straighter and glared at him. He held his hands up, "It's the only place outside of the castle that I can magically take us, there will be shelter and it's far enough away that we can sleep for the night without being found."

"The tower in the woods where the cult held me prisoner?" she said slowly. There was no way she'd let him take her there, of all places! Though there was a part of her that didn't care where they went as long as it had food and a place to sleep.

"It's not ideal, but it's the best I can do. We'll be vulnerable out here…" he opened his arms to motion towards the forest. He was right, they were still too close to the castle. As soon as she didn't return they'd go look in the dungeon, see the sleeping guards and send people out to go after them. She sighed, placing a hand over her eyes and frowning.

"Fine," she grumbled. She was too miserable to argue.

**Sooooooooooooooooooo Sorry this took so long! Anyway, this isn't the last chapter like I thought it would be. 1-2 more and those shouldn't take as long since my life isn't as hectic :) I feel like I may have lost some readers but for those who stuck around I'm so happy! lol I hope you've enjoyed everything so far ^^ feel free to comment if you like, and if you see any really annoying mistakes in this chapter (like grammar wise) please point them out! my brain is so scrambled I probably missed a bunch lol**

**3**


	18. Chapter 18

18.

Once at the tower they created a make-shift camp in the lower main room. Luckily, it was warn enough that they didn't need to risk a fire. Despite not sleeping for so long Sofia tossed and turned on the hard stone floor. Eventually she did fall asleep, but was plagued by nightmares of being chased by castle guards. When she awakened her body felt bruised and she had a headache. She leaned up, glancing around the room. It was dark since the sun had gone down. Despite the sleep she still felt exhausted, but had no desire to resume her uneasy rest. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light, and felt around on the floor.

"Cedric?" she whispered, but there was no answer. He was either still asleep or gone. That thought hit her harder than it should have. He wouldn't leave her here alone, and she had no reason to think he would. She felt around where he had been sleeping, but the spot was empty. Her heart skipped a beat, but she closed her eyes and forced herself to rationalize. There was no reason for him to abandon her in this tower, _again_.

She stood up and stretched. It did little to ease the tension building in her body. There was a shuffling and she jumped. Then a scratch and hiss followed by light.

"You're awake?" Cedric asked. He stood on the steps, holding a lantern. He tossed aside the used match.

"Where were you?" She didn't mean to sound accusatory, but her heart was still racing.

"I went upstairs to see what I could scavenge." He held up the lantern, "I found this and some matches. No food, but there are some edible plants and berries nearby if I remember correctly. I'm afraid I don't really know how to hunt or fish…" he trailed off.

"I can fish, but we don't have the stuff we would need. Bait and hooks and so on…" She looked down at her feet, feeling awkward. It was this place, it gave her the chills. She could see the spot where she had been shackled down over a year ago, and ghostly remnants of the cult still remained. There were still symbols painted on the stone, though they had faded. The air here even smelled sinister, like poison.

"If you want you can go back to sleep, and I'll head out for those-"

"No." she shook her head. "If you're leaving so am I." she hugged herself, there was no way she was going to stick around here, alone. And it wasn't like she'd be able to go back to sleep, even if she wanted to.

#

Cedric held up the lantern, trying to remember where he had seen those berries. He had already located the edible greenery, but adding berries would make the ruffage much more tolerable. He glanced over at Sofia, who was walking close, she looked worried. He bit his lip and kept looking for the berry bush, he could have sworn it was around here somewhere.

Finally he found it. He handed the lantern to Sofia so he could gather the ones that were ripe enough to eat. It was hard to see, but he could tell by touch. The repetitive motion allowed his mind to wander, and he tried to wrap his head around the fact that this was his life now. At least until they made it out of Enchancia, then they could at least stop hiding in the wilderness. His frown deepened, it wasn't fair for him to force this life on Sofia, even if she had volunteered for it so readily.

"You don't have to stay with me, you know. I'm recognizable, but you aren't. You could travel through the villages if you were careful." He tried to sound sensible and aloof. In truth he selfishly wanted her to stay with him.

"I want to go with you," she said.

He smiled, "It's not going to be easy." He told himself he should talk her out of it, but couldn't bring himself to do it. He turned back to her when he had gathered two large handfuls of berries.

"I know that," Sofia held out the sack they had been collecting their food in. He dropped the berries inside of it. "I can rough it," she looked him up and down, "better than you can probably."

"Why do you say that?" he smirked, he saw a smile tug at her lips.

"I've camped out lots of times, and I was a buttercup," she said proudly.

"Is that so?" He watched her secure the sack.

"Yes. So you can stop trying to chase me away." She turned to go, but he stopped her.

"Sofia," he said, and she looked at him. "I haven't thanked you, for everything. For helping me with the cult, and-"

"We'll starve to death if you plan to list off _everything_," she said, smiling at him.

"Thank you," he said, deciding to keep it simple. He found it hard to think straight when she smiled at him like that, and the way the light from the lantern flickered across her features didn't help.

"You're welcome," she said over her shoulder as she walked off. He caught up and took the lantern from her. Then she took his free hand in hers, and they walked back to the tower.

#

Sofia knew she was probably being foolish. She should have sent him on his way and fled in the opposite direction. He had brought so much trouble into her life, but she couldn't leave him now. She had finally decided that he deserved another chance. It wouldn't be easy, but she knew that he really was a good man. He just needed the reassurance and support to keep it up. She had hope. Hope that he had learned from his mistakes, hope that she could trust him again, and hope that he really was the man she thought him to be. If he wasn't, she knew she wouldn't be able to stay with him. Only time would tell.

She also knew that he was wrong about her being able to pass through the villages. Her face, as well as his, would likely be plastered on wanted posters and spread out all over Enchancia. She wouldn't be surprised to find them up by the end of the week, so travelling with him in the woods was considerably better than doing it alone. She sighed, his hand was warm.

The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, and clouds were hiding the stars. She was grateful he had found the lantern. Her peace dissipated when the dark tower came into view.

"After we eat, we should keep moving," she said. They had rested long enough, and the further distance between her and that place the better.

"Good idea, it's still a few days travel to the border."

"You didn't happen to find anything else of use in that tower, did you?" She decided to distract herself from the gloomy tower with their worrying situation.

"Like what?"

"A knife, clothing, blankets, stuff like that." She tried to think of other things, and listed them off as she did. But he only shook his head.

"I stopped searching once I had found the lantern, we can take a look after we've eaten." He released her hand to take the bag from her. He set the lantern on the floor, and Sofia watched the flame's light dance on the walls.

They say down and Cedric began preparing the herbs for consumption while Sofia munched on the berries. They were tart, and felt acidic in her stomach, but they were better than nothing. They finished their meager meal in silence. Sofia was trying to think of ways to fish, if only there was a knife around here. She could sharpen a stick and try to spear them in the river. She had never done it before, but had seen it accomplished and was desperate enough to try. The leaves and berries were hardly satisfying, but hopefully it would keep her going.

They took the lantern, it was still very dark out, and walked through each room of the tower. They found a few small knives but they were horribly rusted and Sofia discarded them. There was another lantern, and some more matches, which they took. No clothing or blankets, but she did find some rope and a hammer. She hesitated outside of the last room, the one she had been held prisoner, but she stubbornly pushed through. Cedric followed, unaware of the room's significance.

"Last one, let's hope there is _something_ more useful in here," he said darkly.

"I doubt it," she walked around, looking along the floor. A glint of metal caught her eye, but it was only the chains, still there after all this time. She stiffened and closed her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No," she tried to shrug it off and continued walking along the room. Nothing. There was nothing in here but bad memories. Then a thought occurred to her, "the fireplace!"

"The fireplace?" he asked.

"I could use the poker to spear a fish… I wouldn't have a knife to clean it so we'd have to eat around the unwanted bits." She shrugged that off though, she was too hungry to be squeamish. "Let's go see if it's down there."

They walked along but stopped at the top of the stairs when they heard voices below. Cedric extinguished the flame of the lantern and they silently pressed themselves against the wall. Sofia gripped the hammer she held, and strained to listen. There were two voices speaking, but she couldn't make them out. Cedric tugged her sleeve, and she followed him back into one of the rooms and silently closed the door. He proceeded to lock it with magic.

"Who could be down there?" Sofia hissed, a part of her thought it was the cult. But they were all dead.

"I don't know. The guards wouldn't have been able to get this far so quickly," he whispered. "Hopefully it's just some people walking by. We didn't leave anything below to alert them to our presence and they won't be able to get through that door."

"So we just need to be quiet and wait them out," Sofia nodded. "Do you have a spell to spy on them?" she asked. Cedric began to shake his head, but then stopped.

"Wait, I do." He retrieved his wand and flicked it in an arc. A small wisp of smoke appeared and glided under the door. When it returned they could hear the hushed voices of the couple below. It quickly became apparent why the couple had met at the tower and Cedric silenced the spell quickly, and shuddered. She could imagine him blushing, though she couldn't see it.

"Why would anyone choose a place like _this_… for that." Sofia shuddered, but had to bite back laughter. It had to be the relief that they were still somewhat safe.

#

They cautiously checked on the lovers, waiting for them to leave, but were dismayed to find that they had both fallen asleep. Sofia had Cedric unlock the door and they slowly made their way down the steps. The two had set out their own lanterns, which lit the room. A poor excuse for a fire smoldered in the fireplace. The sun was starting to rise, though, so the additional light was unnecessary. However, she spotted a pack with fishing equipment next to the man. It appeared as if the couple was travelling much like her and Cedric, though obviously better prepared.

"If they start to stir put them back to sleep," Sofia whispered. Cedric only nodded and she set to work riffling through the couple's belongings. The two had cast aside their clothing and Sofia only hesitated a moment before snatching the woman's dress.

"What are you doing?" Cedric asked her as she began to undo the ties of her own gown.

"What does it look like? Turn around," she waved at Cedric and pulled the dress off. She set it down in trade for the woman and pulled on the simple and soft cotton one. It was a pale pink color, and fit quite nicely. It was shorter, and way more practical so she was grateful. She snatched up the fishing gear, a hunting knife, and hoped the lavish dress would make up for the stolen goods.

#

They made their way towards the river. Sofia stopped and dug about for worms wherever the soil was soft. When they reached the water they found a secluded spot and Sofia got to work baiting her hook. She offered to show Cedric, and he watched politely, but she could tell he wasn't paying attention. By late morning she had caught enough fish to make for a great breakfast and Cedric built a small fire while she cleaned the fish.

"You really should be paying attention to what I'm doing. You might need to catch and clean your own fish one day," Sofia said, grinning.

"Why should I when I have you to do it for me?" he smirked at her, and her heart beat a little faster. For the first time in a long time it wasn't out of fear. She looked down at the fish and continued working.

"Well then you're cooking them. I can't do _everything_." She brought him the prepared meat and bowed dramatically. He shook his head in mock irritation.

"Do I just toss them in the fire and pull them out when they're black?" he asked with a sly smile. He stuck the meat on a spit and balanced it over the heat. She laughed and rinsed her hands in the river. The pack of fishing equipment had some soap so she used it to carefully wash the blood and guts from her hands.

"Come here and wash your hands before you eat, you can get sick if you don't," she stood up and he joined her by the river while the fish cooked.

She handed him the soap, but he took her hand instead. She looked up at him and he kissed her. She was surprised at first, but then relaxed comfortably against him. He pulled away, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiling down at her.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"You were humming," he said softly.

"I was?" she asked, confused.

He only nodded and kissed her again, she decided that he must be so hungry that it was messing with his mind.

**~The End~**

**Sorry for the wait… again… lol. But here it is! Now it's finished. I could probably write continue this story FOREVER but I just don't have the time I'm afraid. I really need to work on my novel… maybe I'll come back and do some epilogue/drabble things once I've finished editing. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this story (If you stuck around to read this monstrous thing)! I tried to end the chapter with some fluff :) **

**Let me know what you think if you want to, all the reviews, faves, follows are GREATLY appreciated. They always brighten my day. Love you all.**


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